Arkansas landed five-star running back recruit Alex Collins Monday as he announced for the Razorbacks over Miami on Fox Sports South.
Alex Collins is an elite Florida running back in a class filled with them. He really burst onto the scene quickly, only picking up football as a high school junior after playing basketball and lacrosse. He was tough to miss: 5'11, 207 pounds, and capable of running a 4.45 40. He quickly rose to the top of several recruiting lists, with Scout tabbing him as a five-star prospect and the No. 3 running back in the country. Here's what SB Nation's Bud Elliott had to say about the back after he decommitted from Miami:
At 5'11 and 208 pounds, Collins has the power to run over defenders, but also the athleticism to make them miss and eliminate angles. In a special year for running backs in Florida, some believe he is the best back in the state.
Some are less high on the relative football newbie - Rivals puts him as the No. 13 running back in the nation - but there's obviously a lot of upside for a very physically talented player.
First, Collins planned to stay close to home, committing to Miami. But as Elliott wrote then, the writing was on the wall that the running back would decommit, and come November, he reopened his recruitment. However, he never ruled out the Hurricanes. Florida State was an early leader, Florida was in the running, and he considered going out of state after a strong visit with Arkansas, but Miami always poked its head into the picture.
Ratings: Scout, five stars (No. 3 RB), ESPN, four stars (No. 7 RB), Rivals, four stars (No. 13 RB)
Vitals: 5'11, 207 pounds, 4.45 40
Other offers: Florida, Florida State, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Miami.
Twitter: Collins tweets at @Budda03.
Recruitment timeline: Collins was originally committed to Miami, but decommited in November before announcing his decision on Feb. 4. Here's a full look at his recruitment process.
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