The Florida Gators beat out the Crimson Tide for Alabama native Kelby Collins. The 6-4, 265-pound defensive lineman signed with the Gators on early signing day.
“I kind of knew after my official, me and my family really like Florida, it really felt like home,” Collins said. “Crazy thing is I wasn’t even supposed to take that visit, I was supposed to be going to Clemson, but Chase Clark, he made me change my mind and we just went down there and fell in love.”
“Just the pitch to me and how loyal they’ve been,” Collins said. “Since my official visit they showed a lot of love, you know they’ve made me the number one recruiter, so I mean I helped get some of these guys and they just interested me with some of the stuff that they do at the program early on even before I signed. So I think that spoke volume and that’s what kept me committed.”
Collins says Florida’s staff plans on using him opposite Princely Umanmielen.
“They gonna play me like a true edge,” Collins said. “They want me to be able to move around a little bit, you know, stop the run when that need be and also be able to get after the quarterback and also set the edge. A lot of guys they feel like can’t really do that right now because they aren’t as long or as athletic. They feel like I can come in and do that pretty early.”
Alabama gave Florida a late charge for the Gardendale product.
“A couple schools came in late, Bama being one of them,” Collins said. “I feel like I went up there so many times that I really heard everything, but when Nick Saban and Coach Roach came to my house and my school, they was just telling me more things that I could have heard on my OV if I decided to take it.”
“It was hard, I’m not even going to lie,” Collins said. “Bama really coming in, growing up as a Bama fan, it was hard turning down Nick Saban and Coach Roach, but I feel like that was the best for me.”
Collins says he sees similarities between Nick Saban and Billy Napier.
“He (Napier) just wants us to be the best we can be and he’s going to push us to be the best we can be, Collins said. “Coming from you know Alabama, under Coach Saban, you know coach Saban, that’s what coach Saban does at Bama. He expects the best, he wants everybody to be the best. I feel like that’s what coach Napier’s doing.”
Defensive line coach Sean Spencer had a positive effect on Collins’ recruitment.
“I like Coach Spencer, him coming from the league, and Penn State putting guys like Micah Parsons in the league, and with helping him develop,” Collins said. “And coming from the league he knows what it takes to get there, and I feel like he knows how to develop defensive lineman. Coming in as his first recruiting class I feel like he can develop as just as well as coach Scott or coach Roach can.”
Collins says the staff has been telling him he has an opportunity for early playing time.
“Yes, that’s something they’ve been saying. My mom said I’m ready to come take spots,” Collins said. “So I’m coming in ready to work hard. First day on campus I’m gonna get with my D line and you know we just going to work out, do some drills, stuff like that, get to learn each other’s play styles and just really start that connection.”
“I like moving around, giving offenses different looks, I plan to come in and take over and be somebody that they look out for,” Collins said.
Collins will be in Gainesville on January 7th as an early enrollee.