Collins a key to resurgence of Tulsa defense
As one of the most talented defenders to play for TU in a long time, it is hard to believe that Zaven Collins was virtually ignored by almost everybody in the recruiting process.
Despite that glaring omission, Collins, a 6-foot-4, 256-pound sophomore linebacker for Tulsa, made quite an impact in his redshirt freshman season, and is poised to become a menace for opposing teams for the next three years.
Even though he played at Class A Hominy, that is no excuse for him to be overlooked. Because anyone who sees him can see he can play. However, Tulsa and UCO were his only scholarship offers.
“I was not highly recruited, whatsoever. I had been to many camps just to get my name out there,” Collins said. “Finally, I think I went to 12 camps in the summer before my senior year of high school. All the way from Memphis to Texas, Kansas, all the D-1’s in Oklahoma. My last camp was the Tulsa camp and that’s when I got offered here.”
The lack of offers from other schools, even when they saw him in their camps, certainly will have Collins playing with a chip on his shoulder, especially when Oklahoma State comes to Tulsa for the third game of the season. But even though there may be extra motivation against OSU, Collins does understand the recruiting process.
“I’ve said it many times, if you take someone like me or some other guys who I know who are like me from smaller towns that get overlooked, and you put them in big Texas schools that get offers from all over, they would be highly recruited as well,“ Collins said. “Some of those guys in those schools get offers without the coaches even seeing them, just because another school offered them.
“I think it was mostly because I was from a small school and they didn’t think I played much competition, and I was good for a small school but not good enough for a D-1 program."
Collins was a dominant player for Hominy on both offense and defense, leading the Bucks to a 14-0 record and the state title his senior year. Playing quarterback on offense and free safety on defense, Collins rushed for 1,520 yards and 27 touchdowns, and completed 83 of 143 passes (58 percent) for 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns as a senior.
He was an All-State selection as a defensive back his senior season, recording 91 tackles and three interceptions. And he just wasn’t a senior sensation, as he recorded four interceptions as a junior. His career totals included 4,084 yards and 54 touchdowns rushing, and 3,056 yards and 32 touchdowns passing while playing for the former Hominy coach, former OSU standout Scott Harmon.
The fact that OSU talked to Collins but didn’t come close to offering him is interesting. They looked at him as a tight end prospect. That fact alone is enough to inspire Collins when the two teams meet in week three this season.
“Yeah, for sure it does,” Collins said of being motivated. “Kind of prove to them what they missed out on. But I love it here. I don’t think I would have changed anything. It’s an awesome school, here, awesome staff."
He is also grateful to have that recruiting process well behind him.
“It’s probably something I would never want to go through again,” Collins said. “You sit by your phone and you’re just hoping you get a call from coaches, and they never call. I remember not going to do stuff in the evening with my friends.
“Some nights, they would say ’hey, let’s go,’ there’s not much to do in Hominy, ’let’s go to the gym,’ and I would say I can’t, I’m waiting on this phone call. I always just wanted to be super focused. Definitely a stressful time.”
Staying focused is something Collins has done at TU as well, in school and on the football field. He excels academically as well, studying pre-med and exercise and sports science.
The potential Dr. Collins was mentally tough enough to enjoy a jarring initial transition from high school to a prestigious academic institution like the University of Tulsa.
“It’s a tough school for sure,” Collins said of TU. “It’s probably a bigger difference, coming from Hominy, in academics than it was in football. Just acclimating yourself to how the college life is. Time management is the biggest thing.”
That’s not to say Collins wasn’t a little apprehensive about going from a small high school free safety to a major college linebacker.
“I was definitely nervous about coming to a big school and seeing how things change,“ Collins explained. “The transition was pretty rough for me trying to see how much faster the game is than it was in high school. But once I picked that up, I think I adjusted fairly quickly and fairly easily. Basically just getting the speed of the game down.”
After redshirting as a true freshman, Collins started 2018 as a backup Mike linebacker, but team injuries forced him to move to the Will linebacker position and start in week three. He took a stranglehold on the position, starting the final 10 games.
Collins went from being a redshirt freshman reserve to starting 10 games and being second on the team in tackles with 85. He had a team-high 9.5 tackles for loss, which included 1.5 sacks. He also had an interception and a fumble recovery, he forced a fumble, broke up three passes, and tied for the team lead with three quarterback hits.
Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery knows what TU has in Collins, and doesn’t hesitate to talk about him.
“Just Zaven’s progression in that short amount of time was phenomenal,” Montgomery said. “But now, with another offseason under his belt, another fall camp under his belt, I think the sky is the limit for him.
“He continues to make plays. There’s things that we can’t even teach him on that we’re trying to get to him. He just sees things coming. He’s so long, he’s so athletic, he’s so strong, he makes it very difficult for offenses.”
In the Tulsa Fan Fest Scrimmage on Aug. 17, Collins showed a glimpse of the player he can be, as he intercepted a pass from his golfing buddy Seth Boomer early in the scrimmage.
Being a former quarterback, combined with hanging out on the golf course with quarterbacks Boomer and Zach Smith, should give Collins an informed insight into what quarterbacks think. Those things would explain a knack for interceptions.
What explains Collins’ interest in golf is that Boomer encouraged him to get out onto the golf course when he first came to TU. Although he had played a little golf before college, Collins had to use Boomer’s clubs at first before he got his own set.
Collins now shoots between 81 and 86 at his rounds at LaFortune when he can manage to fit golf into his busy schedule, whether it's with his quarterback friends or with his girlfriend. As one would guess, he can drive the ball over 300 yards.
As for football, the experience Collins gained last year will be valuable in moving forward to being a standout linebacker for the Golden Hurricane.
“I’ve improved quite a bit,” Collins said. “When I first got here, I was very inexperienced at the position I was at. I was playing Mike, a few guys got hurt, and I had to move to Will, and I’ve been there ever since. I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve improved not just physically, but mentally, learning the ins and outs of the defense.
“I don’t think it matters (what position), but I really like Will, I think it’s a personal preference for me. I like Will a lot because I get to play a little bit in the open and inside the box quite a bit.”
Another things Collins would like to do after his career at TU would involve playing in the NFL, which is certainly a very realistic possibility.
“I think if I keep my mind to it and stay focused and stay healthy, I think I’ve got a shot to at least prove myself,” Collins said. “I definitely would love to play pro ball, but if not, I have other aspirations as well. Just let God take me to wherever he plans and go from there.”