Notre Dame Recruit Prince Kollie Wins Prep Butkus Award
This has been a great week for present and future Notre Dame linebackers, and the postseason honors continue piling up for 2021 signee Prince Kollie.
On Monday, SI All-American named Kollie a first-team All-American after a brilliant senior season in which he racked up over 100 tackles and 11 tackles for loss on defense, and over 1,900 rushing yards on offense.
Kollie was also named the winner of the High School Butkus Award, which goes to the nation's best prep linebacker. It came the same day that current Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah won the college Butkus Award and was named the ACC's Defensive Player of the Year.
Owusu-Koramoah is headed to the NFL next season, and Kollie is expected to eventually be his successor. When he committed to Notre Dame in August, Kollie was considered a three-star recruit, but the Irish staff saw a player with exceptional athleticism and talent, and a defender that was a great fit for the defensive system in South Bend.
Kollie's brilliant senior season resulted in his recruiting profile skyrocketing, and he currently ranks as the nation's No. 91 overall player according to 247Sports. He ranks as the top defender in the Notre Dame 2021 class on the Irish Breakdown board.
The high school Butkus Award was first handed out in 2008, and it was won by former Notre Dame star Manti Te'o. Five years later, another future Fighting Irish star won the award, with Jaylon Smith taking home the honors. Both Te'o and Smith went on to win the college Butkus Award as well, with Te'o winning it in 2012 and Smith winning it in 2015.
Here is my film analysis of Kollie:
"Right now, Kollie's frame and game is all about the rover position. He's listed at 6-2 and 200 pounds, but he's still on the thin side. He's rangy and brings a lot of pop, but his body right now is ideally suited for playing in space. Despite his lack of bulk, Kollie arrives at the football with force. He can play sideline-to-sideline, but he can also plant, drive on the ball and deliver punishment. His length and strong hands also make him extremely difficult to block on the perimeter.
"Kollie has extremely long arms and is a fluid athlete. He's quick and has impressive top-end speed. All those traits give him exceptional range, and they are why he fits in so well at rover. Kollie is also a dominant prep wide receiver, and that experience as a pass catcher helps him as a pass defender. He knows what opponents want to do, and his range and athleticism allows him to cover a lot of ground.
"Kollie projects to be a top-notch space player in coverage, but he also has top-level run defense traits, especially on the perimeter. He is also an effective edge rusher in high school, showing good timing, speed off the edge and closing ability. That kind of all-around skillset with that kind of athleticism for a perimeter player is extremely hard to find, but it's incredibly important for the Notre Dame rover position. Kollie grades out extremely well in all of the areas required for the rover position in Clark Lea's defense.
"With his length and frame, I could see Kollie adding enough size to eventually play inside. Notre Dame doesn't need a 240-pounder inside, especially at the Buck position. Kollie could eventually get to the size where he could hold up inside. He certainly has the foot quickness, instincts and punch to play inside, and that is why he is so versatile. Kollie could certainly play rover for his entire career, but the fact he could play inside if need be adds to his value as a prospect.
"This is a young man with star potential."
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