Tag: Audavion Collins

James Franklin was quick to break up Penn State player planting flag at midfield after USC win

James Franklin did not like seeing one of his players plant a flag on USC’s logo after a big overtime win.

It has become a bit of a trend in college football for a team celebrating a big road victory by planting the team’s flag at midfield of the opposing team’s stadium. After Penn State celebrated a thrilling overtime victory at USC on Saturday, head coach [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] wanted no part of those shenanigans.

Penn State cornerback [autotag]Audavion Collins[/autotag], a transfer player from Mississippi State, was captured on video planting a Penn State flag at the center of USC’s midfield logo. As soon as Franklin saw what was happening though, Franklin stepped right in, grabbed the flag from Collins and instructed a Penn State staff member to take the flag away. Of course, the moment had already occurred and feelings may have already been hurt as a result.

http://twitter.com/audsnyder4/status/1845244371417129018

Penn State was in a very celebratory mood. After trailing 17-3 in the first half, Penn State took the game over in the second half and put together one final rally to force the game into overtime with the game tied at 30-30. After USC missed a field goal on the opening possession of overtime, Penn State’s Ryan Barker connected on a 36-yard field goal to give Penn State a win to remain undefeated.

Penn State will be off next week and will return to the field on the road in two weeks at Wisconsin. Collins should be aware that planting a flag at Wisconsin will be considerably more difficult as the Badgers play on an artificial turf. Of course, Franklin will likely have a word about this incident to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

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These two cornerbacks are standing out after Penn State’s spring practices

Penn State’s cornerback situation is looking solid after spring football practices.

[autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] and his coaching staff knew he could have to replace three starting cornerbacks from this last year’s team and went into the transfer portal to address some of those concerns.

The player who could be an immediate plug-and-play guy is [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] who is coming over from Florida as a redshirt senior.

But it’s the other transfer corner in [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag] who has been turning heads throughout spring according to Tyler Donohue of 247Sports (subscription required).

The former five-star recruit is coming off a freshman season at Georgia where he played in seven games as a reserve and recorded eight tackles.

With three years of eligibility remaining, Franklin and his staff envision Harris being a major part of this secondary for years to come and could be a factor as early as this season.

He’s an extremely physical cornerback who is billed as “super aggressive and super confident,” gaining status as a favorite of teammates and coaches alike.

It will be interesting to see how he factors into [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag]’s defense this season since the Nittany Lions need to replace the production from three starters.

However, Harris isn’t the only one in the cornerback room turning heads this spring, either.

Donohue also notes that previous transfer [autotag]Audavion Collins[/autotag] has also earned some rave reviews from the coaching staff after being described by [autotag]Terry Smith[/autotag] as “a night-and-day different player.”

Collins is a largely unknown commodity after not logging any games for Mississippi State before transferring to Penn State last summer. In his first season with the Nittany Lions he only appeared in six games and logged eight defensive snaps.

Still, Donohue notes that the coaching staff told him they have been impressed with the corner’s attention to detail and tenacity this spring.

Whether that is enough to get him playing time in a room that features Kimber, Harris, [autotag]Cam Miller[/autotag], [autotag]Zion Tracy[/autotag], and [autotag]Elliot Washington[/autotag] will be seen, but Penn State seems to be in a great spot with this position group despite losing three starters.

2023 Penn State football snapshot profile: No. 29 Audavion Collins

Snapshot profile of Penn State transfer addition Audavion Collins, who joins talented cornerback room in 2023.

Going into the 2023 football season, Nittany Lions Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Penn State roster. Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for James Franklin this season.

Next up is a look at one of Penn State’s transfer additions to the roster in 2023, cornerback [autotag]Audavion Collins[/autotag]. Collins was the second cornerback from a P5 program to join Penn State out of the transfer portal in 2023, although Collins essentially replaces the other who left after the spring semester (Storm Duck from North Carolina, and now of Louisville). It will not take long for Collins to get involved in the defensive secondary.

Here is a snapshot look at Collins entering the 2023 season.

Updated uniform numbers for Penn State football’s summer arrivals

What jersey numbers will Penn State’s latest additions be wearing this season? Here are the updated football jersey numbers.

Penn State’s roster continued to be rounded out with the recent addition of more members of its latest recruiting class and transfer additions officially joining the program. Some of the new additions should be key players for the upcoming season, including wide receiver Dante Cephas and cornerback Audavion Collins, each coming from FBS programs with the ability to plug a hole in the roster instantly. Others, like freshmen running backs London Montgomery and Cam Wallace, will add to the depth on the roster while waiting a bit longer to see their moment in the spotlight.

Now those new members of the Penn State family have confirmed jersey numbers for the 2023 season.

Here is a look at the officially confirmed uniform numbers for Penn State’s newest members to the program according to the team’s official online roster;

  • 3 – Dante Cephas, WR
  • 8 – DaKaari Nelson, S
  •  9 – King Mack, S
  • 23 – Trey Potts, RB
  • 24 – London Montgomery, RB
  • 26 – Cam Wallace, RB
  • 29 – Audavion Collins, CB
  • 39 – Ty Blanding, DT
  • 48 – Kaveion Keys, LB
  • 50 – Alonzo Ford, DT
  • 56 – Joseph Mupoyi, DE
  • 79 – Addison Penn, OL
  • 87 – Andrew Rappleyea, TE

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Penn State lands transfer commitment from Mississippi State CB Audavion Collins

Penn State receives commitment from former SEC cornerback out of the transfer portal.

For the second time in 2023, Penn State has received a commitment from a transfer cornerback from a Power 5 program. And this time, the Nittany Lions hope it lasts a little longer than the last one.

[autotag]Audavion Collins[/autotag] announced his commitment to the Nittany Lions with a message on his social media account on Tuesday afternoon. Collins, a 6’0″ former three-star recruit from Georgia, entered the transfer portal in late April and Penn State was among the first teams to contact him.

Penn State previously added to the secondary with a transfer commitment from Storm Duck, from North Carolina. But after going through the spring practice season with the program, Duck re-entered the transfer portal and landed back in the ACC with a commitment to Louisville. That led Penn State back on the search for depth in the secondary, and Collins should deliver on that front.

Although a few Big Ten programs attempted to recruit Collins out of high school in the Class of 2022 (he was at one point committed to Michigan State), Collins was not a recruiting target for Penn State. At least, not in any serious fashion. Collins committed to Mississippi State in August 2021 and signed with the SEC school in the early signing period for the Class of 2022.

Collins did not play for the Bulldogs during his true freshman season, which means he comes to Penn State with four years of eligibility at his disposal. Eve if he is a bit of a project to develop, that could pay off in the long run for James Franklin and his staff.

Penn State’s cornerback outlook for 2023 looks to be in pretty decent shape. Kalen King returns as one of the top cornerbacks in the Big Ten, if not the whole nation and the competition for the other starting job vacated by Joey Porter Jr. could boil down to Johnny Dixon and Cam Miller.

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Michigan State football makes Top-5 for 2022 3-star CB Audavion Collins

Michigan State football makes Top-5 for 2022 3-star CB Audavion Collins

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Mel Tucker and Michigan State football continue to show a confidence in their recruiting efforts, consistently going into SEC territory to recruit some excellent talent. That was on display on Sunday when the Spartans made the Top-5 for the recruitment of Audavion Collins, a 3-star cornerback in the 2022 recruiting class out of Covington, Georgia.

Collins is the No. 1,217 ranked player in his class by 247Sports and their No. 101 ranked cornerback. His Top-5 includes:

  • Mississippi State
  • Tennessee
  • UCF
  • Michigan State
  • Indiana

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