Williamstown Athlete J.C. Collins boosting his recruiting status

Class of 2019 athlete J.C. Collins of Williamstown High School is seeing his recruitment pick up as he has emerged as one of the hidden recruiting gems in the state of New Jersey. Collins took to the field this past weekend in Pennsauken, N.J. for a 7-on-7 practice tournament for Next Level Greats and was among the most elite performers on the field.

Among those also participating was Woodrow Wilson’s Fadil Diggs and Stanley King, Council Rock South (Holland, Pa.) tight end Nick Gallo and rising St. Joe’s Prep (Philadelphia, Pa.) freshman quarterback Kyle McCord.

Collins has a lot of film at quarterback, but showed himself to be a lockdown corner who moves very well at 6-foot-1, 170-pounds.

This past season, many teams shied away from throwing at Collins when he lined up on defense.

Boston College is recruiting Collins at quarterback while schools like UConn, Temple and Rutgers are pursuing Collins as a defensive back.

This past Sunday, Collins made the trip up to Rutgers for the program’s annual junior day.

“I liked it. I have been up there a few times, so it’s not like I have not seen the facilities,” Collins said. “But every time I go up there, I am like ‘wow, I would love to play here.’”

The topic of an offer came up, although the film factor seemed to have prevented one from being issued.

“They told me they did not see enough of me at defensive back when they watched my film,” Collins said. “So, they want me to come back up around camp time and they will evaluate me. I am just working hard now, so when that time comes, I can do my best.”

Collins also mentioned that Rutgers has been steady with its pursuit.

“Rutgers has been the most consistent school. They have been talking to me since the end of my sophomore year until now. UConn was also on me early. Other schools are starting to come around now too. Virginia Tech and Temple came in, and Michigan State is starting to send me stuff.”

In the meantime, Collins is training for the camp and combine season, in hopes of landing some offers.

“That is what takes up most of my time, that and preparing for my SAT. I work out with my team and then after those workouts, I try to go to the gym myself and work on the things we are not working on at my school. And on top of that, I work out with Coach Marcus [Hammond] at NLG. We have practice on Sunday and mandatory training on Friday, so I am booked throughout the week.”