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Marcus Benjamin @_benjaminmoney
On a hot Saturday morning on the campus of the University of Miami, 2021 DL Savion Collins put many on notice at Head Coach Mark Richt’s Camp. Collins at 6’4,” 265 pounds, put his power and speed on display in front of the Miami coaching staff and earned respect and an on the spot offer from the Canes which would be his first from any university. Collins had to take a moment to process the surreal experience.
“I really had to collect myself to really realize what was going on,” said Collins. “I am so glad that they decided to offer me.”
The one on one drills are what really separated Collins from his competition on the field last Saturday.
New @CanesFootball 2021 target @Ajuntae_king31 seen here handling O lineman with one arm while driving toward QB. @SouthwestEagles @FootballHotbed pic.twitter.com/K6cfv2TrWK
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminMoney) June 2, 2018
“With one on ones it’s just you and your opponent. You just go head to head and whoever wins, wins. I won a lot that day.”
Collins went through the drills with a heavy heart as his great uncle who he grew up with passed away. He was contemplating not attending the camp at all, but decided to attend to take his mind off the recent occurrence.
“It was definitely a better choice to go given what happened. I can’t sit around at home sobbing. I really needed to clear my head. It was a way I could express how I felt without shedding any tears and take out some frustration.”
Collins is a native of Miami and his parents allowed him to play organized football for the first time during his freshman season at Southwest Miami High School. His father, from Jamaica and mother from Guyana, are not greatly familiar with the game of American football, but after hearing the news of the Miami offer, both parents could not contain their elation.
“My mom went crazy and my dad was there with me when I got the news so when we got in the car he just went off.”
His mother and grandmother are hoping that Savion commits to Miami, but his dad who completed college at FIU would like to see his son at his alma mater or Florida State. Collins is currently on a visit at Florida State and plans to visit Georgia State, Charlotte, South Carolina, Clemson and Florida in the next upcoming days. Collins received additional offers from Charlotte, FAU and NC State this week. Kentucky also reached out to Savion for a visit.
Collins started at left tackle at Southwest and switched to defensive line toward the end of the season. The standout defender feels his breakout game was against Belen Jesuit.
“I was just happy to play football. If you hit me I’m going to hit you ten times harder. I like the contact. I’m expressive through contact and I feel the position change was a good move for me.”
Savion Collins @Ajuntae_king31 Freshman Highlights on @Hudl https://t.co/1kSoScuyx7 #hudl
— Marcus Benjamin (@_BenjaminMoney) June 8, 2018
Southwest suffered through a 2-7 season last season and is looking to build on the momentum built this week and take that into the 2018 season.
“Even though great things happened this week, I’m still trying to stay disciplined and not be afraid. I just evaluate the situation before making decisions. Every loss just made me focus on getting better. I’m just looking to get better with my team and eventually get to the NFL.”
