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Collins comes from strong bloodlines
By Anne Larimer Hart, Athletics Media Relations
When asked to name his favorite professional player, Nate Collins doesn’t hesitate to provide Warren Sapp as the answer.
The fun-loving former standout for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, was known for his quick wit, reliable play, and soon, his dance moves as a participant in the new version of the “Dancing with the Stars” television show.
In some ways, Virginia nose tackle Nate Collins and the infamous ex-Miami Hurricane are similar. They both have played just about every position on defense, they are both fiercely competitive and they both adore their families.
When Collins talks about his family, he lights up. Not only does he say that being with his family is his biggest passion outside of football, but it is clear he draws his strength from home.
“I have a very competitive family,” Collins said. “I grew up racing my sister seeing who’s faster and who’s better at basketball. That always helped me out and made me have a competitive attitude about everything.”
For Collins, sports are the family business. His father, Allen, played basketball at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. His older sister, Alisha, recently graduated from Stonehill College in Massachusetts, where she was Division II basketball All-American. Even his mother, Rosalind, makes sure the family knows about her glory days as an all-county softball player.
“Like a lot of kids when they’re younger, my parents wanted to keep us active,” Collins said. “So I played all sports baseball, football and basketball. I really loved basketball and I really wanted to play in college, but I stopped growing. I always thought I was going to be 6-4 or 6-5.”
Growing up around men who are between 6-8 and 6-10, it certainly is easy to feel small, but at 6-2 and 280 pounds, Collins is the perfect size for nose tackle. Forget the immobile players who serve mainly as defensive walls Collins’ history of playing football has proved him to be a chameleon on the field.
Though he grew up in Port Chester, N.Y., Collins was educated in Connecticut, at the very small King & Low-Heywood Thomas School. With only 50 students in each class, every player on the team was critical and required being an Iron Man playing on both sides of the ball. Over the course of his high school career, Collins gathered extensive defensive experience at end and linebacker.
When the team’s quarterback was injured during Collins’ senior year, and the backup quarterback wanted tape for college as a running back, the coach turned to his defensive end to take the helm. Collins ended up playing quarterback for seven games.
In August 2006, Collins arrived at UVa happy to be back on defense and ready to play wherever head coach Al Groh needed him.
“When I got here I really didn’t care where I played,” Collins said. “I was just ready to help the team out any way I could. They started me out playing end and then moved me to nose tackle. It just stuck.”
Collins spent the last two seasons watching and learning the position behind starting nose tackle Allen Billyk. As the primary reserve, Collins played in all 13 games and logged 31 tackles during the 2007 season.
As nose tackle, Collins’ primary job is to make sure the opposing center is not able block the linebackers.
“Last year when I was just starting to learn the position that’s the type of thing I would mess up on,” Collins said. “But now I know more about my role on the defense and I’m not really trying to make every single play because you’re not going to make every single play. I now know what I’m doing.”
The position of nose tackle is not about glory. It is about holding the line, and Collins is own his way to mastering the position. Granted, he has earned his fair share of glory, including a sack for a safety in the Gator Bowl last season and, his personal favorite, blocking a late two-point conversion that turned out to be the difference in a 22-20 win at North Carolina.
Collins enjoys those memories, but knows he has to work even harder. His goal for the rest of his UVa football career is a simple one to do everything possible to help the team.
“I want to do as much as I can here to help the team win an ACC championship,” Collins said. “After that, it’s always been my goal to get drafted and play professionally.”
Away from football, Collins’ passion is pursing his degree in psychology, a subject he truly enjoys.
“I love children, and I really want to start focusing on child psychology and even a little bit of animal psychology,” Collins said. “Everyone says I’m a big kid.”
Kind of like his hero, Warren Sapp.