Rutgers Scarlet Knights Football Signee Bio: Tight End Shawn Collins
Montclair High School (NJ) three-star tight end Shawn Collins is now officially part of the Rutgers Football program after signing his letter of intent on Wednesday.
Honors
• Group 4/5 All-First Team Defense
Statistics
• As a senior, Collins had 8 receptions for 125 yards and three touchdowns.
• As a junior, he had 5 receptions for 150 yards on offense. He also had 7 sacks and one interception on defense.
Recruitment
• Pledged to Rutgers on June 22nd, 2019.
• Was recruited by Nunzio Campanile.
• Collins will be an early enrollee at Rutgers.
• Chose Rutgers over five other offers from Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Columbia, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan.
Did You Know?
• Collins is now the eighth FBS prospect from Montclair High School since the 2014 recruiting cycle. He is also the second Big Ten signee since then.
• Along with playing football, Collins also plays basketball for Montclair High School. He only averaged 2.2 points per game last season in 10 appearances.
• He is rated as the number 30 overall prospect in the state of New Jersey and the number four over tight end in state.
They Said It
• Montclair High School head coach John Fiore: “Collins has the potential to become a big time player at the next level, his best football is definitely ahead of him. He is being recruited as a TE but can play either side of the ball. Although I do believe he could play both, he wants to be a TE at Rutgers. But I guess a lot of it will depend on the new offense, hopefully the new OC knows how to utilize his tight ends."
• Rivals Mid-Atlantic Analyst Adam Friedman: “
• TKR Offensive Film Analyst Anthony Siciliano: "Standing 6-foot-5, 215-pounds -- Collins is an athletic tight end that displays strong hands and body control in the passing game. He possesses the ability to be a threat in the down the field passing game with his size alone. I was impressed with his ability to adjust and track the football when throws were outside of his frame. Collins also has quick hands and a wide base, both of which allow him to wash defenders down.
It is important to note that Collins is not a one-dimensional player by any means. He has no problem putting his hand in the dirt to help out in the run game from time to time.
In Montclair’s offense they use Collins in a pro style offense, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rutgers use Collins out wide in single receiver sets from time to time to get him more involved in 1-on-1 matchups.
You can tell Collins is just scratching the surface of his potential and has the ability to be an explosive threat at the tight end position. Rutgers is getting a solid player here, one that can contribute in many different ways on the offensive side of the ball."
2019 Projection
Right now there is little to no depth at the tight end position for Rutgers. Technically Scarlet Knights only have Johnathan Lewis and Matt Alaimo on scholarship at the moment, until they find out if grad transfer Kyle Penniston will be granted another year of eligibility or not. Now when it comes to Collins a lot will depend on how well he can block. If he can become a good blocking tight end for Rutgers early on, there is a good chance he won't redshirt at all. However there is also the possibility that Rutgers hits the transfer portal once again for another tight end too, which could force him into a redshirt year. Either way expect to see Collins in at least four games next season whether he plans to redshirt or not.
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