Evin Demirel: Why Alex Collins Should Go Pro Right Now

Featured, Football, Razorbacks | August 19, 2015 by Evin Demirel | 0 Comments

Can Alex Collins Become a Professional?

Clint Stoerner knows what a very special season can look like.

In 1998, the former All-SEC quarterback led a pack of Hogs to a roaring 8-0 start, then had top-ranked Tennessee on the ropes on the road. He now believes the same kind of “Cinderella” season is in store for the program in 2015 if Dominique Reed or Kendrick Edwards develop into a deep threat.

That kind of breakthrough for the receivers, though, largely hinges on a dominant run game fueled by starting offensive linemen who average nearly 330 pounds and perhaps the most popular player on the team: junior Alex Collins. Collins, who has already notched two 1,000 yard-plus seasons, now has a chance to high step into bonafide superstardom in the wake of Jonathan Williams’ regular season-ending injury during Saturday’s scrimmage.

“I think his ceiling is through the roof. He’s not anywhere close to tapping his potential,” Stoerner recently said on Sports Talk with Bo Mattingly ESPN 99.5 FM. As Stoerner sees it, Williams’ injury gives coach Bret Bielema an opportunity to convince Collins, who has shown signs of immaturity his first couple seasons, now is the time to shift the maturation process into overdrive. “There’s no longer any waiting until Jonathan Williams is gone. You become that professional [now] or your talent carries you through college football and you get to the NFL, and then you have to become a professional.”

Bielema’s pitch would be simple: “Become a professional. Let’s do all the things behind the scenes right, be a detail oriented, day in, day out guy.” And Stoerner, ever the detail oriented interview himself, expounded on much more on the talk show, from Brandon Allen’s subpar scrimmage performance to why “D.J. Dean” could soon become a household name.

Below are choice excerpts from his talk with Mattingly:

On whether J-Will’s injury affects his predicted eight Hogs wins in 2015:

It doesn’t lower my expectations whatsoever… I think the addition of Dan Enos will be a big part of Arkansas getting better on offense regardless of what personnel is out there. He’s a little bit more aware of what Bielema wants to get accomplished, a little bit more aware of being effective with that personnel on the field than what we’ve seen in the last couple of years.

On what Brandon Allen needs to do:

At this point being a fifth year guy, if Brandon hasn’t stepped out on that ledge already, it’s probably not going to happen… If Brandon Allen at this point tries to become something that he hasn’t been, then you lose credibility. I don’t know that Brandon changes anything other than he may need to have Alex Collins sleep on his couch a couple of nights a week. He may need to have Kendrick Edwards and Dominique Reed, those type guys, sleep on his couch for a couple of nights – at least Thursday, Friday nights before the game. The talent’s so deep with running backs right now that BA just needs to go about his business as if nothing is happening.

On worries about the linebackers:

Those guys, as we watched with Martrell Spaight last year, have to play with a reckless abandonment. It’s tough in this conference when you don’t have a lot of depth, especially with that stretch run that Arkansas’s got with Tennessee, Auburn, Texas A&M, Alabama, and all these guys back to back. It’s tough to think that our ‘backers are going to stay healthy through that all… Josh Harris is a guy that could be a make or break player this year… If he does get the chance to play he’s going to have to come through.

On the other secondary and defensive line:

I like [all the defensive backs], but I love DJ Dean. I love how physical he is, he plays with a lot of emotion. He’s always around the football. He raises the level of play around him when you’re at practice and I can’t wait to see that unfold on the field. The depth of the defensive line is a good thing, they’re be out there competing their tail off everyday, not for position, but for playing time. They can all play. They know they can play, but they’re trying to get clock, they’re trying to get minutes at this point. We’ve got that type of environment where it’s a nasty competition everyday and guys get better.

His one minor criticism of Allen:

With the exception of Hunter Henry, I don’t believe that he trusts his receivers to the point that he needs to be a quality SEC quarterback. You watch this guy, experience – he’s got it. Footwork – he’s got it. He moves enough; he can make some plays with his feet. The combination is there, the toolbox is there, but he’s got to find three or four guys that he really really trusts and just let the football go.

On Brandon Allen on completing 10 for 23 passes during the first scrimmage:

I don’t put much stock into the fall scrimmage… With this running game, 75% of the time Brandon should know where he’s going with the football before he snaps it. The pre-snap read is going to be huge for any pro-style running game like this, the quarterback’s job particularly a little bit easier and the throws tend to be predetermined. What I’ve seen Arkansas do to this point is work in different combination routes and see who’s good at what.

They’ve got to figure out what receivers can do certain things. What receivers are better with the screens and are more physical and can just get that two or three yards. Who can run the concept routes downfield and get in and out of breaks and settle in soft spots in coverages and those types of things. I don’t necessarily expect Brandon to be extremely comfortable at this point doing some of those things.

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Not all All-SEC Razorback quarterbacking legends think alike. Tyler Wilson did put enough stock in the scrimmage to think Brandon Allen’s struggles are a real problem. Learn more about why through my new BestOfArkansasSports.com roundup of Arkansas sports radio and TV interviews.