Stephen Collier was the lone quarterback recruit in the 2014 class hailing from Leesburg, GA (Lee County High). The 6’3 220 pound freshman was a 3 star recruit and rated as the number 11 dual threat quarterback in the country by 247sports. While Collier’s name was not well known by most fans, and he was the last of six quarterbacks offered in the 2014 class, he was a diamond in the rough waiting to be mined out of Georgia. In his senior season Collier passed for over 4,000 yards and rushed for 1,500 yards, accumulating a school record 44 total touchdowns. His record breaking play helped earn his team a regional title and a birth in the Georgia state playoffs. Collier also received an invitation to the Elite 11 finals in Oregon and impressed many along the way.
After watching his senior year tape I’m still honestly baffled by his middle of the pack rating. Collier did come out in a year loaded at the quarterback position, and of course there are some politics that play in to the ratings game, but I was as impressed watching Collier’s tape as I was any other QB outside of Deshaun Watson (the #1 overall DT-QB Clemson commit).
Collier’s size is the first thing that stands out to you. As stated he is 6’3 or 6’4, and a thick 220 pounds. Even though he has a solid frame, Collier possesses the mobility required to escape the pocket as well as be a threat in the read option game. Along with his quick feet comes a cannon for an arm. Collier stands out the most when he is throwing the deep ball or throwing in to tight windows. While his arm strength will not be as impactful on the college level due to the increase speed of play, it should still stand out as above average to good.
If there is a flaw in Collier’s game it is in his accuracy and decision making. Collier will need to adjust to the speed of the college game. His decision making has to be quicker, especially in Herman’s offense, and his short to intermediate accuracy will have to improve. Collier’s quick and neat feet should help him progress quickly in this department. The one trait that will help Collier progress his game and see his opportunity to compete for a starting job increase will be his intangibles.
A large reason that he received an offer and was so touted by Herman and Meyer is because Collier is a competitor and a very hard worker. Collier is a football junkie and with his work ethic should polish out the majority of his flaws. He stayed after practice multiple times this spring to work on his timing; often times he was the last player to leave the building. With instruction from Herman, and a couple of seasons to sit and learn, Collier could find himself competing for a quarterback battle in the upcoming seasons. Meyer’s offense has proven that not one, but two quarterbacks have to be available at all times. That should provide ample opportunity to a player like Collier to step up and contribute when need be. In the mean time we will have to wait to watch Collier in future spring games and blowouts, hopefully receiving more pass attempts than the astounding one he saw this past spring game.
Just reading this. Nice!