Clemson wide receiver Beaux Collins spoke to the media on Monday to discuss his thoughts on last weekend’s game, his relationship with fellow quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and the perceived growth of him individually and Clemson’s offense as a whole.
When asked by the media how it feels to be a sophomore and have the title of the “old man” in terms of experience out of the wide receivers, Beaux beamed with gratitude.
“It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “A year ago, I didn’t think I would be in this position right now, so I am just blessed to be here.”
After storming onto the scene last season and with two touchdowns already under his belt after week two, Collins is a player that will be spending lots of time in the spotlight as a key component of Clemson’s offense.
Regarding last weekend’s game, reporters acknowledged that there was lots of criticism on the outcome of the game, and people expected to see more out of Clemson, especially on the offensive side.
Collins, along with the rest of the team, has responded to the criticism simply by not listening to it.
“People said we didn’t do as good as we should have against Furman,” he said. “However, we did a lot of great things and things that we haven’t done in the past. We still have some mistakes we need to clean up, but overall I thought we did a pretty good job.”
Multiple reporters alluded to Collins’ relationship with Uiagalelei, considering the two have played together since their high school days at St. John Bosco, a California powerhouse known nationally to produce raw talent like Collins and Uiagalelei.
Due to their experience playing together, Collins noted that they definitely have their chemistry worked out and they move together seamlessly on the field.
“We’ve been playing together for a couple of years now,” Collins said, “so I know where he’s going to put the ball and DJ knows where I’m going to be. [We have a close relationship] to the point where if a play breaks down, I’m going to get open and I’m going to let him know that.”
Since Collins has been around Uiagalelei for some time now, he has been able to witness the growth of Uiagalelei first-hand, especially when it comes to his aura and how he’s carried himself on and off the field.
“This is probably the most comfortable I’ve seen [DJ] ever; he is dialed in every single practice and is leading the team in a great way,” Collins said.
As the interview was wrapping up, someone was curious as to what the phrase “Beaux Time” entailed, which Collins has been promoting through his new merchandise line that he released on Wednesday via Instagram.
“It [started out as] a celebration; a couple of my teammates said it around the facility last year, and my dad hyped it up too,” he said. It came to mind after my first touchdown I had, so I kind of just ran with it from there.”
Hopefully, the combination of Collins’ experience as a receiver and his chemistry with Uiagalelei will elicit several “Beaux Time” celebrations throughout the remainder of the season.