The biggest recruit for Arkansas in a decade has finally signed.
Alex Collins made it official Thursday afternoon in Miami.
“Alex is a great addition to this class,” Coach Bielema said. “He is an upstanding young man who has impressed us throughout our time getting to know him, and he focused on making a decision that was the best for him athletically, academically and socially. He has high character and is a student-athlete we are thrilled to bring into our family. He made it clear to us that he truly wanted to be a Razorback, which is what we want from everyone we sign.”
Collins had to cancel his signing ceremony Wednesday when his mother confiscated the papers and left.
Collins chose Arkansas over his hometown University of Miami on Monday, but that didn't sit well with his family, who wanted him to stay close to home so they could attend all his games.
"It's not necesarily of her not wanting me to go to Arkansas," Collins told our CBS affiliate WFOR. "It was because she cares about me so much she doesn't want me to make the wrong decision. It was her wanting me to take enough time to make the right decision. This is where I'm going to be the next four years of my life. So it was just her care inside for me leaving the state and am I comfortable with that. I understand she gives me that time to think about it and I'm pretty sure this is what I want to do and where I want to go."
NCAA rules state a recruit needs a parent/guardian signature on the letter of intent if he/she is under the age of 21.
Collins is the biggest recruit for Arkansas in a decade. According to scout.com he is the 3rd rated running back in the country. The last time Arkansas had a high running back recruit was Darren McFadden in 2005. (He was rated the 9th best running back in the country.)
McFadden was the Heisman Trophy runner-up in 2006 and 2007.
The 5-foot-10, 207-pound Collins is the kind of big, bruising tailback that Hogs head coach Bret Bielema molded into Heisman contention when he was head coach at Wisconsin.
Monte Ball of Wisconsin won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back last season.