Ranking the Contenders: Four-star DE Kelby Collins
Kelby Collins has more than 30 offers, but the four-star defensive end has narrowed his choices to five.
Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and South Carolina made the cut for the Gardendale, Ala., standout who is now much closer to figuring out his recruitment and getting closer to a decision.
In today’s Ranking The Contenders, we take a look at the top schools on Collins’ list and determine which program has the best shot at landing him.
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1. ALABAMA
Alabama is the team to beat - and it could be really difficult to beat the Crimson Tide. There are so many factors in Alabama’s favor with Collins being an in-state prospect, the Crimson Tide are looking for defensive ends in this recruiting class, his family members are all Alabama fans and Collins is really close with position coach Freddie Roach. There are a ton of things pointing to Alabama’s favor, and it could be tough for the four others to overcome.
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2. GEORGIA
The Georgia coaches can be really convincing when going after a top prospect. The Bulldogs have won a lot of these recruiting battles before - and Collins has been a big priority for a long time. Position coach Tray Scott went to see the four-star defensive end during the evaluation period, assistant Glenn Schumann has been involved, along with Kirby Smart and others. Collins is showing mutual interest as well, making it to Athens multiple times and seeing a dominant defense filled with NFL players.
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3. FLORIDA
The Gators made Collins’ top eight in October and he cited his relationships with the coaching staff. All those coaches are gone, but the four-star has hit it off with the new staff and has always liked something about Florida to keep the SEC team high in his recruitment. From coach Billy Napier to co-defensive coordinators Sean Spencer and Patrick Toney a lot of top prospects like it when they get to Gainesville and so the Gators should remain somewhere in the middle at this point.
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4. OKLAHOMA
In late October, Collins released a top eight and Oklahoma was not included. That is not necessarily good news, but the Sooners looked a lot different during the fall from the coaching staff on down, and now Collins has renewed interest in the Sooners and especially the coaching staff. First-year coach Brent Venables is an aggressive recruiter who goes after what he wants and Collins is a target, but everybody involved knows Alabama will be tough here.
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5. SOUTH CAROLINA
The feeling here is that Collins likes the coaching staff in Columbia, that coach Shane Beamer is approachable and personable and has done an excellent job in making the Gamecocks relevant again as he builds South Carolina into an SEC East contender again. The four-star defensive end visited South Carolina for the spring game and that could provide a spark, but other SEC teams have such a built-in advantage in his recruitment.