Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM SEPT. 14, 2024 19 cause he was still enrolled at Clemson while he finished his undergraduate de- gree. During that time, a small part of him still might have felt like, "Did I make the right choice?" He was well liked with the Tigers, and starting over wasn't easy — es- pecially when he couldn't be on the field. However, he truly recaptured the feeling when he first put on a blue-and- gold uniform. That day, he texted his mom, April, something his parents will never forget. "I can't believe it," Collins said. "It's here." It was a feeling he lost in Clemson, S.C., where he caught 91 passes for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns in three years. He was playing and he was pro- ducing, but he felt like he reached his peak with the Tigers. "It was no more excitement, nothing to look forward to, the same old methodical routine," D'Andre Collins said. "When he goes to Notre Dame, it's like a rebirth." B ea u x C o l l i n s, o n c e he got settled into South Bend, had "tunnel vision" with his training and with getting to know his new teammates. It was some- thing his dad hadn't seen at Clemson as the new Notre Dame wide receiver prepared to officially enroll. The teammate who made him feel at home the most, though, might have been another transfer addition. "What topped it off, and I'll tell you the truth, is Riley Leonard," D'Andre Collins said. "What Riley Leonard did was next level, and that took Beaux to another level." What Leonard did was take Col- lins, along with most of the wide re- ceiver group, down to his hometown of Fairhope, Ala. That, D'Andre Col- lins explained, was not normal. And it showed to Beaux Collins what his new signal-caller was all about. "It was just an experience for us to go down to where he's from, get to know each other a little bit more and put some work in with [former longtime NFL quarterback] Philip Rivers," Beaux Col- lins said. "Things like that all just tied together all the way up until this point. We put in a lot of work." Collins hadn't known Leonard before the two committed to Notre Dame within two days of each other. He knew of Leon- ard, certainly — Duke upset Clemson in Week 1 of 2023, hoisting No. 13 into the national spotlight — but the two met for the first time when they visited Notre Dame in the same two-day period. In line with his tunnel-vision atti- tude, Collins took it upon himself to watch Leonard's Duke highlights and figure out what types of throws he likes to make. Spending time on the field with him in Fairhope sped that process along, and the whole experience con- tinued to raise his confidence level. Even being around Rivers, who gave him and the other wideouts compli- ments and feedback on their game, meant something to the Clemson transfer. "It's like a snowball," D'Andre Col- lins said. "It just builds and builds and builds." Once fall camp came and Collins had a chance to work directly with the Irish coaching staff, Freeman turned out to be the perfect coach for what he needed. Freeman's coaching style brought out "ultimate confidence," Collins explained. His mindset of "reloading" when mis- takes are made resonated with Collins, who said Freeman emphasizes that more than any coach he's had in his life. More than anything, though, Free- man believes in his guys. He proved that to Collins from Day 1. "He has our back, 100 percent." Col- lins said. "That's all you really need from a head coach, in my opinion, is to know he's there for you." In return, Freeman saw Collins step in and become a leader in the wide receiver room from the first day of camp. The plays he made on the field that first day caught the third-year head coach's eye, too. "He has really come in here and bought into the culture that we already have in place here and has enhanced the group that he's with," Freeman said. JUST THE BEGINNING If something clicked in Beaux Collins when he committed to the Irish, some- thing snapped when he caught a 20-yard, back-shoulder fade over Texas A&M cor- nerback Will Lee III to spark Notre Dame's game-winning drive in his debut. Collins described it as an out-of- body experience. In Freeman's words, he briefly lost his mind. An adrena- line-fueled Collins got up after making the catch and pushed Lee in the back. Fifteen-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties have been called for less. "It was just in the moment, some- thing I've never done before in my life," Collins said. "It was wild." When the Irish watched the film the next day, Collins saw the nearby official put his hand on his flag but decide not to throw it. Brown might have saved him by reprimanding him in full view and earshot of said official. In any case, Collins caught the pass. The 6-foot-3, 206-pound leaper made a massive play when his team needed it most. He finished with 5 receptions for 62 yards, and he played 59 snaps, more than any other skill position player. T h a t's a te s ta m e n t , Freeman explained, to his work ethic — Collins' body ca n h a n d l e t h a t m a ny snaps — and his mindset as a team player. Wide receivers can go quarters without getting the ball, but Collins did the little things that helped Notre Dame win. "He will block better than he does anything," D'Andre Collins said. "And that lets me know it's not about him, and I'm gonna do my assignment. Which is rare, you get that from a re- ceiver." Sitting on the plane ride home, it started to hit Beaux Collins that yeah, Notre Dame really did that. He thought about all the days he spent off to the side in spring ball, the work he put forth in the summer and the intense practices with piped-in Aggie crowd noise in fall camp. Collins and the Irish reached their first goal. But as his dad stressed to Blue & Gold Illustrated, it was only the be- ginning. "Watch when Beaux gets this touch- down," D'Andre Collins said. "Watch when Beaux gets other touchdowns. … Once he scores, he gets a taste of that. It's like, 'I gotta get another one.'" All it takes, as Collins proved in Week 1, is belief. ✦ "It was no more excitement, nothing to look forward to, the same old methodical routine. When he goes to Notre Dame, it's like a rebirth." D'ANDRE COLLINS ON HIS SON, BEAUX, TRANSFERRING FROM CLEMSON TO NOTRE DAME