|
Collins |
BY TAFT COGHILL JR.
When Lanford Collins watched National Signing Day on television, he always pictured himself one day announcing his college decision with a group of hats from different schools in front of him.
The Brooke Point High School football standout would pick up the hat from the school of his choice and that would signify the decision he made.
So when Collins orally committed to Virginia Tech two days ago, his first thought was to postpone the announcement of the decision until next Wednesday, National Signing Day.
However, being a good friend was always more important to Collins than the vision of fans hanging on to his every word.
That's why Collins decided to go public with his choice last night.
He didn't want his decision to overshadow the achievements of teammates Brian Hudson and Chase Barnett, who will sign with Liberty University on Wednesday.
Collins said he's known Hudson--Brooke Point's
"I didn't want to take anything away from them on their signing day," Collins said. "When I said I made my decision, but wasn't going to announce it, a whole bunch of people from [recruiting service rivals.com] were talking about coming down here. I didn't want that to overshadow Chase and Brian getting scholarships because that's pretty big."
Collins is pretty big, too. He's 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. He was recruited to Tech as a defensive end.
He received scholarship offers from a dozen schools. He initially narrowed his choices down to Virginia Tech, Virginia and Penn State. He then eliminated Penn State and was down to the state rivals.
He took an official visit to Virginia Tech this past weekend. Virginia coaches visited him in school last week.
Collins said he was leaning toward Tech before his visit, but the trip made his feelings stronger.
Brooke Point head coach Jeff Berry said it's easy to be impressed with Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and head coach Frank Beamer's straight-forward approach.
"I don't think it's anything that Coach Foster and Coach Beamer did to impress [Collins]," Berry said. "They are who they are. They don't put on any airs. They present the school and if you like it, you like it. If you don't, you don't. They're not going to go crazy trying to recruit a guy."
Collins called the coaches at Virginia and Penn State last night to alert them of his decision to pick the Hokies.
It didn't hurt that Tech had two Brooke Point alums on its roster last year. Former Black-Hawks' kicker Dustin Keys set a school-record for field goals made in a season this past season as a senior.
Former Brooke Point defensive end Isaiah Hamlette was redshirted for Virginia Tech last year.
"I guess you can say it's a plus that I already know somebody there," Collins said of Hamlette.
In addition to some crushing blows to opposing ball carriers, Collins racked up plenty of postseason honors this past season.
He was first-team all-Commonwealth District, all-Northwest Region and Free Lance-Star All-Area.
He registered 124 tackles, 16 sacks and 24 tackles for loss in his junior and senior seasons.
Berry said Collins is one of the most "coachable" players he's guided in his career at Brooke Point.
"The first thing [Virginia Tech] is getting is a tremendous person," Berry said. "He's a tremendous person, who just happens to be a great athlete. He's one of the hardest workers I've ever coached."
Taft Coghill Jr.: 540/374-5526
Email: tcoghill@freelancestar.com
