Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2021 45 2021 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY MIKE SINGER It was the morning of the Musket Bowl — the nickname of the football rivalry game between David Crock‑ ett and Daniel Boone High Schools — which is one of the biggest days of the year for Prince Kollie, who played at inside linebacker and run‑ ning back for David Crockett. Every morning during school announcements, the pledge of al‑ legiance is read over the intercom. With it being game day, Kollie was selected to read the pledge, and af‑ terwards, it's tradition for the David Crockett fight song to be played on Musket Bowl morning. However, the fight song wasn't load‑ ing on the principal's phone, so an‑ nouncements ended without it being played. Moments later, the fight song was finally cued up, and Kollie — a stickler for tradition — made a request for the intercom to be turned back on so the fight song could be played. "He's all about Crockett," head coach Hayden Chandley said. "He could've transferred to any big school and could've been recruited even more, but he loves this school. He's proud to be at David Crockett." The Musket Bowl's 50th anniver‑ sary took place on Oct. 23, 2020, a game in which Kollie led the Pio‑ neers over the Trailblazers for a 20‑14 triumph. Kollie had 18 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns, plus eight tackles (one for loss). Boone leads the series 36‑14, but Kollie ended his prep career with a win in the nationally recognized rivalry. "It's one of the biggest things to go down in the county every year," Chandley said. "We're one county, but no one likes the other team that night. It means a lot to both sides." Kollie was named Tennessee Class 5A Mr. Football for his efforts last fall. He took major steps on the field from his junior to senior season, in‑ cluding making the full‑time switch from safety to linebacker. "He's played the inside line‑ backer position for only one season," Chandley added. "When he has a full offseason with Notre Dame and learns the ins and outs of the defense, he's really going to thrive." A reserved, lead‑by‑example young man, Kollie became more vo‑ cal as a senior. "Most of his leadership was on the field when he was a junior," Crockett assistant coach Kevin Ramsey added. "This year, he's been leading these guys in the locker room. He's a hum‑ ble kid who is compassionate." ✦ Prince Kollie Was Loyal To His High School Kollie was named Tennessee Class 5A Mr. Football as a senior after rushing for 1,562 yards, scoring 29 touchdowns and making 109 tackles. PHOTO BY MIKE SINGER PRINCE KOLLIE LINEBACKER 6-2 · 210 DAVID CROCKETT H.S. JONESBOROUGH, TENN. RANKINGS STARS NAT. POS. STATE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 242 18* 6 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 170 18* 4 ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ 92 6* 2 * Ranked as OLB STATISTICS • During his career, he totaled 250 rushes for 1,951 yards and 31 scores to go along with 105 receptions for 1,683 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also recorded 252 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, two sacks, five interceptions, 17 passes defended, two fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles. • Exploded as a senior, rushing 181 times for 1,562 yards and 26 scores, while recording 13 receptions for 290 yards and three touchdowns. He also had 109 tackles, 11 stops for loss, one interception and four passes defended. NOTABLE • Born on March 1, 2003. • 2021 Under Armour All-American. • Invited to later cancelled All-American Bowl. • Won the 2020 Dick Butkus Award, recognizing him as the nation's best prep linebacker. • 2020 Tennessee Class 5A Mr. Football. • 2020 Johnson City Press/Kingsport Times News Elite 11 Player of the Year. • 2020 and 2019 Tennessee Region 1-5A Defen- sive Player of the Year. • 2019 and 2020 Tennessee Sports Writers As- sociation Class 5A All-State first-team defense. • His brother John Jr. plays football at Bluefield College in Virginia. RECRUITMENT • Earned an offer from Notre Dame in May 2020. • Narrowed his recruitment down to Georgia, Louisville, LSU, Notre Dame and Oklahoma a few weeks ahead of his pledge to the Fighting Irish on Aug. 7, 2020. • Visited Notre Dame's campus for the first time on Oct. 3, 2020. • Recruited by former defensive coordinator Clark Lea and defensive analyst Nick Lezynski. 2021 PROJECTION • There are plenty of returning linebackers, but Kollie may be too good to keep off the field for Notre Dame. He could start on special teams from day one. THEY SAID IT Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly: "People always talk about playmakers in terms of of- fense; he's a playmaker on defense. He wrecks your day on offense. We saw so many similarities with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Prince in terms of the way they play. To add a playmaker of his capabilities was so attractive to us and was a natural fit." Rivals Southeast analyst Rob Cassidy: "His size stands out. He looks like a major Power Five prospect and has giant upside down the road as a linebacker. He moves pretty well and can cover, but he's extremely raw. He doesn't play great competition and doesn't really do camps, so we've never seen him tested either. "Those are the knocks on his game; he's going to need some polish. A redshirt year would help him, too, but he's ready from a physical stand- point and his upside is through the roof with his size and athleticism combination."