The Class of 2022 cornerback from Newton High School in Covington, Ga., told GoVols247 that he’s scheduled to travel to Tennessee on June 1 for a visit that will coincide with the Vols’ first camp of the year, and he plans to return to Knoxville for an official visit the weekend of June 18. He said he also has locked in official visits to Michigan State and Oregon State.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Collins said Michigan State is scheduled to host him the weekend of June 11. He added that his official visit to Oregon State is set for the weekend of June 25.
Tennessee, Oregon State, Michigan State and Mississippi State, he said, are the main teams he’s currently considering.
“It’s them four,” said Collins, who has received offers from more than 15 schools.
Collins already has gotten a virtual tour of Tennessee’s campus, but he said he’s looking forward to seeing for himself what the Vols have to offer. He said he might even participate in their camp to get a better feel for what it might be like to play for first-year Tennessee coach Josh Heupel’s staff, including defensive backs coach
Willie Martinez and defensive coordinator
Tim Banks.
“I think I might do a camp up there, just working out with them,” said Collins, who’s ranked the No. 97 cornerback in the 2022 class, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite.
He said he has been talking with the Vols “almost every day” over the past several weeks, led by Martinez.
“I’m talking to Coach Martinez a lot,” Collins said. “We’ve been talking a lot. That’s my dog. ... If not every day, it’ll be pretty close to that. The head coach will hit me up sometimes, but mainly just Coach Martinez and Coach Banks — those guys.”
While Collins said no school is standing out “right now” among his four top contenders, he admitted that Tennessee’s staff has made a good impression on him so far. He said he has particularly enjoyed getting to know Martinez.
“It’s not all about football all the time, so he just talks to me as a man and stuff like that, just checking up on me,” Collins said of Martinez. “He’s a working dude. He’ll play sometimes, but most of the time it’s work. It’s not all about the outside stuff. It’s more work. But he’ll still check up on you and see, like, what’s going on and stuff. He’s cool.”
Tennessee’s facilities and the opportunity to play in the SEC, Collins said, are among the reasons he’s taking a hard look at the Vols.
