Interest rises for massive 2009 OT
The state of North Carolina has its share of talent in the 2009 recruiting class. Few prospects in the Tar Heel State are as big as massive 6-foot-8, 320-pound offensive tackle David Collins out of Kernersville (N.C.) East Forsyth. With that frame, plenty of colleges are already taking notice.
"I'm getting letters from just about everywhere," he said. "Virginia Tech, Duke, Clemson, Notre Dame, East Carolina, North Carolina State and Wake Forest are all recruiting me.
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"Wake Forest jumped on me really early. I only live about 30 minutes away from there. I went to their camp and have been to several of their games since 10th grade. I've had some good conversations with them so far."
While Wake Forest is close, Collins has reason to look at another school.
"Both of my parents went to North Carolina State," he said. "I've always been a State fan and I've been to their football camp. They've been recruiting me really well too."
With ties to State and Wake Forest, do both of those schools have an advantage?
"The coaches at both of those schools have been great, they are almost identical," he said. "Being a fan of them, it doesn't really affect me. I've got to look at playing style and being around coaches 24/7. I really have to look into it and go on official visits to see what schools offer.
"I do want smaller classes where I can get more attention. These schools provide great academics. Proximity is big too. Both Wake Forest and North Carolina State are not that far from home. I don't want to have to travel too far."
This season, Collins took visits to Wake Forest, North Carolina State and East Carolina for games.
"All three visits were great," he said. "I was impressed by everybody I've seen and what they had to offer."
The North Carolina prospect is looking at taking more visits in the near future to a couple schools.
"Notre Dame and Virginia Tech want me to come up for unofficial visits with my quarterback, Danny O'Brien. We haven't scheduled them yet, but I'd like to go. I'm also trying to get to the U.S. Army All-American combine in January."
East Forsyth finished the year at 5-6.
"We did pretty well," he said. "Three games we lost, we should have won. We just made some mistakes.
"I did well. I averaged six to seven pancakes a game. I only let up one sack on the season and had some good downfield blocks. I tried to go all out."
There's no question Collins has the frame, but what else makes him standout as a prospect?
"I think it's probably my aggressiveness on the field," he said. "I want the ball run to my side every play, I want everything on me.
"I know I need to work on my speed and footwork. I've been working with our speed coach trying to get that down."