Having an already accomplished NFL prospect who has an incredibly high ceiling for potential is exactly what coaches and fans alike are looking for.
Zaven Collins definitely fits the bill for all of those things. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound redshirt junior from Hominy is ready to lead Tulsa's linebackers and its entire defense to excellence in 2020.
Collins isn't happy with the status quo, in which he did very well in 2019 with eight tackles for losses among his 97 total tackles. He also had two sacks, three passes defended, and a blocked kick.
"I can make tackles. That's my job. I'm a linebacker. But I want to make it to where I'm unstoppable on every play," Collins said.
Tulsa coach Philip Montgomery knows exactly what a gem he has in Collins, his standout Will linebacker.
"Obviously, Zaven is a tremendous talent," Montgomery said. "He's a guy who can cover a lot of ground. He's a guy who can play multiple positions. He can do a lot of different things for us. His future is extremely bright.
"He's got to step his game up even more. You've got to remember, he's only been playing linebacker for three years. He was a quarterback and free safety in high school. He's still learning the position. He's got some God given tools that he's taken advantage of."
Majoring in Exercise & Sports Science/Pre-Med, Collins may someday be known as Dr. Z. Or perhaps he can be the Dr. of Defense. As a senior in 2021, Collins figures he can have half of a masters degree finished. That is, if the call of the NFL doesn't get answered too soon for TU fans.
Regardless of labels, Collins is ready to lead a defense that should be even better this season in what will be Collins third year as a starter. He has started 22 of 24 career games, including all 12 last season.
"I'm working on getting in the backfield and getting more tackles for losses, getting sacks, getting interceptions. Just doing extra," Collins said. "You've got to be phenomenal. That's what I want to work on, being a phenomenal player."
Montgomery mentioned Collins' high school career at Hominy where he did incredible things. Collins rushed for 4,084 yards and 54 touchdowns, and passed for 3,056 yards and 32 TD's in his career. That included 1,520 yards and 27 touchdowns rushing as a senior while completing 83-of-143 passes for 1,600 yards and 23 touchdowns, as he led his team to a 14-0 season and the Class A state title.
As a linebacker who can cover, play the run, and even rush the passer when needed, Collins is the complete player NFL teams are looking for. Collins was thrilled that last year's teammates Reggie Robinson and Trevis Gipson were drafted in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively, in the NFL Draft of 2020.
"It's very encouraging that two of our guys got drafted," Collins said. "I'm in no rush to leave TU, but if I have a good year this year, then that might become an opportunity. But I just play every down as hard as I can."
Outside of Collins, the Golden Hurricane has some holes to fill at the other two linebacker positions as Mike linebacker Cooper Edmiston and Diamon Cannon at the Star are losses to graduation who need to be replaced.
"I'm very confident we will get out there and take the bull by the horns because they have played so much," Collins said of the young players who will have to take over for Edmiston and Cannon.
Replacing Edmiston will be the toughest. Finishing ninth on TU's career tackles list, Edmiston, a three-year starter, was the dependable, tough Mike linebacker that also had an uncanny knack for coming up with big plays in the clutch.
"Coop was just a stalwart in there" Montgomery said. "He's had 100 tackles every year since he's been a starting Mike. He's going to be hard to replace, obviously. Fortunately, we've got some experience coming back."
Manning the Mike this year should be Yohance Burnett, a 6-1, 223-pound senior who was a juco transfer from Navarro JC. The Pearland, Texas, native missed 2018 at TU due to a knee injury, but came back last year and had 34 tackles, including two for losses, while playing in all 12 games.
"At the Mike, Yohance is at that spot for us," Montgomery said. "Yohance played quite a bit for us last year, whether it was at the Mike or at the Star or at the Will. He played at all three.
"I feel as though Yohance is going to bring some different things to the table than Coop did. He's really athletic, he's strong, he's got a great trigger about him. He uses his hands extremely well in the box getting off blocks."
Several players have a chance to fill the Star position, with Treyvon Reeves and Grant Sawyer being leading candidates.
Reeves is a 6-2, 224-pound senior from Fort Worth who has 32 tackles, including a quarterback sack, in 35 career games. Sawyer is a 6-3, 215-pound junior from Argyle, Texas who has 18 tackles, including two for losses, in 24 games.
"You look at Treyvon Reeves, and he played quite a bit last year as Diamon was hurt and played extremely well," Montgomery said. "We kind of moved Grant Sawyer around a little bit. He was a Will, and played a few games at Will as a true freshman. We moved him over to the Star. I think that's going to fit him a lot better."
Having players who are versatile and can play multiple spots is an important asset that Montgomery believes his team possesses.
"So as we move those pieces, you've got Justin Wright, who has played on special teams, playing at the Mike," Montgomery said. "You've got Dorian Hopkins who played special teams but we redshirted him last year. You've got Robert Revels who has started some games for us at Will and can play multiple spots."
Revels is a 6-2, 215-pound senior from Houston who has 50 tackles and two fumble recoveries while starting two of his 39 career games. The 6-2, 234-pound Wright is a redshirt sophomore from Abilene, Texas, who has played in 16 career games with eight tackles. Hopkins is a 6-2, 238-pound redshirt freshman from Memphis who was a three-star recruit.
Also in the mix are Texas A&M transfer Brian Johnson (6-2, 190) at Star and redshirt freshman Bershard Glaspie (6-3, 218) at Will.
"We've got some depth, we've got some experience there,” said Montgomery. “It's going to be a good rotation of guys. I think we've got a chance as a nucleus of linebackers to be not only an experienced core but an effective core."
