Knoxville, Tennessee, wideout Braden Collins has football in his blood.
His father, Ryan Collins, played tight end with Tennessee along with Peyton Manning. His uncles Brent Collins and Todd Collins both spent time in the NFL. Todd was a Super Bowl champion.
"Football sort of runs in our family," Braden says.
So it makes sense then Braden Collins is trying to follow in their footsteps. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound standout in the class of 2018 just picked up a Hoosier offer from IU receivers coach Grant Heard.
"It's one of the bigger schools to have offered me, so it was exciting," Collins said. "I'm going up there in a few weeks. I want to check it out and talk to everybody."
Collins now holds offers from the likes of Austin Peay, Charlotte, Coastal Carolina, Vanderbilt, Western Kentucky and Yale, among others. That list should only continue to grow after helping Farragut High School to a 14-1 record en route to the Blue Cross Bowl 5A State Championship title a season ago.
Collins himself was named a 2016 Tennessee Sports Writers' Association All-State Team member, an All-Region 3-5A Team Member and an All-Prep-Extra Offensive Team of the Year member, among other accolades.
He finished the season with 1,252 receiving yards, 68 catches and 16 touchdowns. All of those marks set school records.
Coaches have taken notice, too. Collins said that he thinks that his route running, speed, explosiveness and hands combine to make him such a wanted prospects.
"But honestly, I just try to work harder than everybody else on and off the field," he said. "I try to be better with a better mindset and just physically be better."
Collins said it's a dream of his to follow in his uncle's footsteps and play in the NFL one day but that he knows he has to excel at the collegiate level first before he can start worrying about that.
He's got plenty of help for advice along the way between family members but said he's trying to stay focused on his own game during the recruiting process. He'll try and schedule a visit to check out the Hoosiers in Bloomington soon and said he's open to anything along the way.
"I'm enjoying (the recruitment) a lot, but at the same time it's a great experience," Collins said. "I'm blessed to be able to go through with it."
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