At the beginning of Fall camp, Dabo Swinney cracked a smile seeing the starting group of Clemson wide receivers lined up together for the first time. This group consists of Antonio Williams, Adam Randall, and Beaux Collins. All three players are talented but Collins is the one who sticks out as the likely star of this position group. Collins in his first two seasons has already shown he has the potential to be the top receiver for the Tigers. A couple of shoulder injuries last season really held back the then-sophomore though. In 2023, it is time for him to capitalize on that potential and help boost the position group with maybe the most question marks on this Clemson squad.
What Collins Has Brought to the Table
Over the past two seasons, the Tigers’ passing game has been heavily criticized. There was a lack of big catches made downfield as well as passing touchdowns in general. Collins though has been the one receiver who has been able to at least show the potential to do it is there. In his freshman year, he had two games with over 100 receiving yards. One of which was against a Wake Forest team ranked 13th in the country at the time. In both his freshman and sophomore seasons he tied for the team lead in receiving touchdowns. In his sophomore season, he did this playing only 10 games while the teammate he tied with, Davis Allen, played all 14 games.
Overall Collins currently has 53 receptions, 780 yards, and eight touchdowns in 21 games played. These are not necessarily mind-blowing stats but they are still very good for a young receiver in a struggling passing offense. It shows that there is something there with Collins if given more opportunities to be the playmaker that he is.
Shoulder Injuries
Towards the end of his freshman campaign, Collins really started to his true potential. It did create a bit of excitement around him heading into last season. Heading into the final stretch of the season though, Collins was the latest victim of the 2022 Clemson injury bug.
During Fall camp, Collins already started dealing with a minor shoulder injury. He continued to play though and it affected him for the majority of the beginning of the season. Even worse Collins ended up separating his other shoulder in the game against Notre Dame. This sat Collins for the next two games before making his return against South Carolina. Sadly, in this game, he reinjured that same shoulder.
This injury put an end to Collins’ season. He had to sit out both the ACC championship game as well as the Orange Bowl. When not on the field he was sorely missed in the passing game. Clemson may have survived the conference championship game without him, but the Orange Bowl was rough. Collins got surgery on that separated shoulder that kept him limited most of the Spring. Since the start of Fall camp though, he is fully back and ready to go.
Season Expectations
Going into 2023, we expect Collins to be the top receiver for the Tigers this season. In this Garrett Riley offense, Collins has the potential to play the role he was always supposed to be in. He is poised to be an explosive deep ball wide receiver threat for opposing defenses. Not only that, Collins for sure should be the go-to guy in the red zone. He has a big 6’3″ 210-pound frame that makes him perfect to throw the ball up to at the goal line.
As a deep ball receiver, he is very good at high-pointing the ball and using his size to catch it in the open field. He also has enough speed to get behind defenders trying to cover him and get open down the field. His strong hands help him secure catches and being over 200 pounds makes breaking tackles easier for Collins. Riley, as someone who loves to take shots deep whenever he sees a chance, has an offense perfect for Collins to use all these attributes effectively. During camp Collins has received high praise from Riley, Swinney, and even his new quarterback Cade Klubnik. He is exciting many who have been able to see him work this preseason. Be ready to hear number 80’s name called a lot this season.
Photo courtesy: Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK
