Alfred Collins was a consensus top-75 recruit and four-star defensive end, according to the 247sports consensus rankings. With a player as talented as Collins, it’s easy to wonder why he hasn’t had much of an impact two years into his college career.

Alfred Collins has only three and a half sacks and seven and a half tackles for loss across two seasons. In 2021 as a sophomore, Collins played 328 snaps on defense, fifth among defensive lineman and edge defenders for Texas.

With Alfred Collins struggling to make an impact on the Forty Acres, it’s fair to start questioning why. Were the recruiting services wrong to label him as a top-75 recruit to begin with? Is the coaching staff developing him and using him in a beneficial way?

Grab yourself your favorite beer, cocktail, or a cup of coffee and let’s unpack these questions.

Alfred Collins as a Recruit

Alfred Collins was a tank at Cedar Creek High School. Measuring in at 6’5” and 285 pounds, Collins was a man amongst boys. Recruiting experts shared similar opinions.

“High-ceiling defensive lineman who could fit multiple roles in multiple schemes. Still growing into tall, long frame. Owns outstanding height and frame length with through-the-roof frame potential. Long and lanky with a ton of space to add mass.”

Gabe Brooks, Recruiting Analyst for 247sports

Alfred Collins came into college with as much potential as anyone we have seen at Texas along the defensive line.

Collins was also a three sport athlete at Ceder Creek. Playing Basketball, Track and Field (Shot out and discus), and obviously, Football. Alfred Collins proved he not only had impressive mass and length, but functional athleticism to pair with it.

Alfred Collins at Texas

Thus far, Alfred Collins has yet to really explode as an elite defensive lineman in college. His athleticism and size are still very noticeable on the football field, yet it has translated into only three and a half sacks in nineteen games played through his first two seasons on the Forty Acres.

Alfred Collins in 2020

In the 2020 season Alfred Collins was a true freshman. Collins enrolled at Texas in June of 2020. He was recruiting by then defensive line coach, Oscar Giles. Giles coached Alfred Collins his first year on the Forty Acres while Tom Herman was the head coach and Chris Ash was the defensive coordinator.

Collins proved that he belonged as a power-five starting defensive lineman immediately. As a freshman, Collins played over 300 snaps along the defensive line. He mainly lined up in the B-gap, typical for a defensive tackle.

Collins looked comfortable in his role in Chris Ash’s defense. He was decisive, instinctive, and brought a playmaking ability in the interior of the defensive line that Longhorns Nation hasn’t seen since Malcolm Brown. Alfred Collins showed plenty of promise, especially for a true freshman. However, he failed to take that next step into stardom in his Sophomore season.

Alfred Collins With a New Defense

After the 2020 season, as every Texas Longhorns fan knows, Tom Herman, Chris Ash and the rest of the defensive staff was let go. Replacing them, Steve Sarkisian and Pete Kwiatkowski brought a completely different style of coaching. Sark and P.K. brought a players-coach mentality, refreshing after Tom Herman’s more drill sergeant-type of coaching.

That wasn’t the only change for Alfred Collins, however. The defense was completely different. Kwiatkowski rarely uses four or even three defensive linemen in his front seven. He prefers to play in a 2-4-5 base defense. The “2” is for the number of defensive linemen. The “4” is for the number of linebackers, typically two true linebackers and two edge defenders that are smaller, faster defensive ends. The “5” is for the number of defensive backs, typically the traditional two safeties, two outside cornerbacks, and one slot or “star” (as it’s named in his playbook) defensive back.

This schematic change effected Collins more than any other player. As mentioned earlier, Collins typically played in the B-gap his freshman year. There he actually enjoyed some success, especially for a true freshman. However, Pete Kwiatkowski chose to shift Alfred Collins closer to the outside (as a five-technique, 5-Tech for short). With this shift, Collins would be forced to go up against offensive tackles head to head, instead of shooting between the tackle and the guard like he was accustomed to. This sounds like a minor shift, but Collins’ responsibilities in run defense and as an every-down player changed drastically.

Closing

Alfred Collins is absolutely big enough, strong enough, and athletic enough to play well at the position Pete Kwiatkowski put him in. However, we did not see it in 2021. Collins will have to show obvious improvement over last season if he wants to be a main player in this deep defensive line unit.

With veteran players such as Keondre Coburn, Byron Murphy, Vernon Broughton, T’Vondre Sweat, and Moro Oromo all vying for snaps, Collins must improve to stay in the rotation. Alfred’s injury is reported to keep him sidelined for 2-4 weeks. That timeline puts him in danger of missing the first game of the season, and will almost definitely keep him out for the rest of fall camp.

Overall, Alfred Collins’ talent will keep him in the defensive line rotation. However, if he doesn’t improve playing as a 5-Tech, Pete Kwiatkowski would be doing Collins and this defense a disservice by not letting him line up in his more comfortable role in the B-gap.

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