Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1282481
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com PRESEASON 2020 53 Clark Lea has been a part of some big recruiting battles in his 14 years as a college football coach, but he may have pulled off his biggest coup in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Jonesborough (Tenn.) David Crock- ett outside linebacker Prince Kollie was a late bloomer in the recruiting process, not receiving his first schol- arship offer until January 2020. He then earned more than 30 tenders in a six-month span, and had a final five of Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Notre Dame and Oklahoma. Lea, who usually doesn't show much emotion and is professorial in his approach, couldn't help but be ecstatic about his recruiting triumph. "He almost fainted," Kollie said. "He said this was one of the biggest moments of his recruiting career be- cause he worked so hard to get me." Kollie, who is ranked as the na- tion's No. 57 outside linebacker by Rivals, admits that he was leaning towards Louisville prior to his Notre Dame commitment, which he an- nounced Aug. 7. He came to his deci- sion the previous Friday, but even the day prior, he preferred the Cardinals. A conversation with Notre Dame senior linebacker Drew White quickly turned the tide to the Fight- ing Irish's favor. "Drew told him the story of him getting hurt, and he said that it would've been easy for him to feel like an outcast, but he said that his teammates brought him meals, drinks and were making sure he felt like a part of the team," David Crockett assistant coach Kevin Ramsey said. "That gave Prince the brotherhood validation that he was looking for." "He said when he got hurt, all of his teammates would bring him drinks and food," Kollie noted. "He compared it to his brother's experi- ence at an SEC school, and he said it wasn't really a family bond at other places. That was huge and all I needed to know. It just clicked." The brotherhood component was important to him, and the faith as- pect was crucial as well. Kollie, whose family migrated from Liberia when he was 1 year old, is devout in his faith and bonded over that with Avon (Ind.) High and Notre Dame commit Blake Fisher. "I wanted to know how important his faith was to him," Kollie said. "I know he has my back. We have the same goals and aspirations. He told me he talks to God often, and that's all I need to hear." Another key factor for Kollie in se- lecting the Irish was education. He did his homework on the schools in his final five and knew that Notre Dame's academics were above the rest. "The life after football — they're in a different ballpark when it comes to the opportunities they have and amount of the success their players have when they can't play anymore," Kollie said. "I want to know that I can take care of my family if I get hurt or can't go to the NFL. With a Notre Dame degree, I'm good." Kollie's career at Notre Dame will begin at rover, but he could slide inside to the Buck linebacker spot, which several players have done un- der Lea's tenure in South Bend. "Coach Lea's words were that he's going to start me out at rover and then let nature take its course," Kollie recalled. Kollie did it all for David Crockett last season, catching 68 passes for 1,085 yards and nine touchdowns, plus recording 78 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, seven passes defended, one fumble recovery and three forced fumbles on defense. "He's extremely physical and has a nose for the football," David Crockett head coach Hayden Chandley added. "He has good sideline-to-sideline speed and just finds the football. His instincts are off the charts. "I think he's extremely versatile. He's played three different positions for us in two years." — Mike Singer COMMITMENT PROFILE PRINCE KOLLIE Fighting Irish Pull Talented Linebacker Out Of SEC Country Kollie, the nation's No. 57 outside linebacker per Rivals, selected Notre Dame from a final five that included Georgia, Louisville, LSU and Oklahoma. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM Film Analysis "He knows he's good. He's a really confident player out there. [Prince] Kollie plays with great tempo and is super explosive and very physical at the point of attack. "My comparison for him is [Hall of Fame safety] Ed Reed; he moves around with that confidence and swagger, especially in pursuit and the way he tracks players. He's an SEC-type player with a great feel for the game. He's super fluid but also strong. "Right now, in his development, he's much better in pursuit — coming downhill as opposed to turn- ing his back to a quarterback and reading route concepts. That will come as he continues to develop. "He's a great player and never seems to be out of position in his angles of pursuit. He has the innate ability to snap his hips to make big hits. He should be an exciting player to watch in the future." — Blue & Gold Illustrated football analyst Mike Goolsby