5 -Star Cedar Creek DE Alfred Collins commits to Texas

[HornSports Staff]

Texas just landed a National Signing Day goldmine.

The top uncommitted player in the state made it official on Wednesday afternoon when he signed with Texas after an up-and-down recruitment that saw the Longhorns in the thick of things the whole way.

Collins chose Texas over Oklahoma and Alabama after whittling down to those three last week. Other schools in the running in the last month have included Baylor and LSU.

Baylor made it interesting in late December, causing Texas fans to worry a bit on how solid of a possibility Collins could become, but following the departure of Matt Rhule, Collins eliminated Baylor from contention.

Collins is ranked as the 62nd best player in the country, according to 247Sports Composite rankings. He is the 2nd overall strong-side defensive end and the 8th ranked recruit in the state of Texas.

PLAYER INFORMATION:

Name: Alfred Collins
Position: SDE
High School: Cedar Creek
Hometown: Bastrop, Texas

MEASURABLES:

Height: 6’5″
Weight: 284 pounds
Vertical: 29.3″
40-yard dash: 5.00 sec
Shuttle: 4.44 sec

FILM

THREE BEST TRAITS:

Size – Collins is already a monster at 6’5″, 284 pounds, but he still has room to fill into a long frame. His potential to grow under an offseason program at Texas is sky-high, but even at his current size, he poses a challenge for the majority of the players in the country.

Hustle – In watching Collins’ film, you can quickly see that he is not one to give up on plays, even if it is on the other side of the field. To have a defensive end that plays until the whistle, no matter the result, is huge for any team, but at the college level, it can be a game-changing trait.

Strength – Collins hasn’t had many issues against 5A talent in the Austin area, but after seeing his performance at the All-American Bowl against some of the nation’s elite talent, he still was as dominant at the point of attack from an upper-body standpoint. Size, you can’t teach, but with strength, it takes a disciplined kid willing to get in the weight room to improve. Collins has just that.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:

Getting thru the Double-Team – Some of the biggest issues that Collins faced during his time at Cedar Creek was maneuvering through the double-team on a consistent basis. If his dominance translates to the next level, he will have to get better at fighting off two linemen on the pass rush.

IQ – Collins is a smart player, don’t get me wrong. But at the power five level, there are some things he can improve on in getting to know the game and making correct decisions. He is still relatively raw from a knowledge standpoint, but can improve under the correct coaching.

SUMMARY:

Alfred Collins is Texas’ third defensive lineman in the 2020 class, joining Vernon Broughton and Sawyer Goram-Welch. Texas searched out a dominant defensive lineman in this class, someone that could be reminiscent of Breckyn Hager or Charles Omenihu, and it seems as though they have just that in Collins. With proper development, Collins could be the best defensive lineman Texas has seen in the last decade.

FINAL VERDICT:

Collins will enter Austin as a bit of a project, but with a ton of upside. If you were to rank the ceilings of each player in the Longhorns’ 2020 class, Collins would arguably have the highest of all. In working with defensive line coach Oscar Giles and the return of a four-man front under Chris Ash, Collins should be able to succeed on the Forty Acres with ease.

[primal defense]

We need good DL.

[The Tinman]

Good for Mr Collins and good for the University of Texas!

HOOK'EM

[HORNS GUY]

Hookem 

[UTfish]

Big need. Huge get. Now let's see what our new coaches can do with all this talent. 

[Epictetus]

I notice 247Sports says 4 Stars. 
Giving Horns just one 5-star recruit

#9 National Class.

 

[Sirhornsalot]

12 hours ago, Epictetus said:

I notice 247Sports says 4 Stars. 
Giving Horns just one 5-star recruit

#9 National Class.

 

24/7's rankings made him a 5-star last week or so. However, you are looking at the 24/7 Composite which combines with other rankings to gain an average ranking. So he shows up as a 4-star in that ranking.

 

[Epictetus]

Thank you Sir, for explanation. I’ve been out of the loop lately. Hook’em.

[hookemhorb]

On 2/5/2020 at 4:56 PM, UTfish said:

Big need. Huge get. Now let's see what our new coaches can do with all this talent. 

4 star, 5 star. It don't matter. What matters is what he does on the field and that is on the coaches. This time of year I always hear, we have the talent to beat the NE Patriots and ain't nothing stopping us next year. Then reality hits after the first game or two.

[dillohorn]

Horns have to beat LSU and ou. If they don't we'll be right back to 2019.

[Baron]

5 hours ago, dillohorn said:

Horns have to beat LSU and ou. If they don't we'll be right back to 2019.

I agree but LSU will be a tall task in Death Valley even with all the turnover.

[MikeV73]

1 hour ago, Baron said:

I agree but LSU will be a tall task in Death Valley even with all the turnover.

We’ve got this, I already have the post victory cups designed...