Vols DB Target Audavion Collins Recaps Friday Visit to Knoxville
Covington (Ga.) Newton High School defensive back Audavion Collins made the trip to Knoxville yesterday with a couple of close friends who participated in the "Night at Neyland" camp. The trip served as a short glimpse of what Collins will see during his official visit to Knoxville in a couple of weeks.
Collins's recruitment remains steady, with Oregon State, Michigan State, Central Florida, Mississippi State, and Indiana all making him a priority. Before attending Tennessee yesterday, he also attended an invite-only camp at Georga.
"I feel liked I showed how great of a player I am," Collins said about his performance at Georgia. "I have some more things I need to work on, but I feel like I learned a lot at the Georgia camp. I went out there and competed and had a chance to talk to Coach A, and everything went great."
Following that trip, he did not rest long, as he made the four-hour trek to Knoxville, and it caught his attention.
"The facilities," Collins said about what stood out during the visit. "They were beautiful, they were pretty, and I loved them. Then, I got to meet coach Martinez and some of the players. It was more get in and get out, so I wasn't able to see much, but it was still great."
Collins will return to Tennessee in less than two weeks for a multi-day official visit, which will allow him to see everything he needs to see. He will focus on one key aspect during the trip.
"I want to get to hang out with the coaches, the head coach, and the players more," Collins said. That is my main priority."
Collins will look to build on an already strong bond with defensive backs coach Willie Martinez during the trip.
"He is a really cool dude," Collins said about Martinez. "He is going to get after you. He is going to get the best out of you. He is just a very cool guy, and I really like the way he coaches."
"It would be an amazing and fun opportunity to play for coach Martinez," he added. "Just like I said, he is a really cool dude, and he knows what he is talking about because he has been doing this for a lot of years. That would be a great opportunity."
Martinez coached and helped develop one of Collins's friends, Tay Gowan, into a 2021 NFL Draft pick during their time together and Central Florida.
"That is something we have talked about is just how cool of a guy he is," Collins said about conversations with Gowan. "He just tells me all of the same things, especially that he (Martinez) knows what he is talking about."
Martinez has been clear about what he sees in Collin's game that he likes.
"They like my technique as a corner and that I can run," Collins said about what Martinez has told him. "Yesterday, at the indoor facility, I ran a 4.4, and he was amazed by that. Like I said, just all of that and my technique. He feels that I can play outside. He believes I can control my own island out there and keep it locked down."
Collins will take official visits to Michigan State, Oregon State, and Tennessee for sure this month, and then he could turn his focus towards a decision, he says.
"Just the coaches, great coaches and the players that are there," Collins said about what he is looking for in a school. "I want to go to a team that is going to win. I just want to be a great player, and I want to win."
So when he makes a decision, what is a school getting in him.
"A dawg," Collins said. "A dawg. A physical dawg, technique corner. Not just a corner, an all-around defensive back because I can play safety, nickel, all of that."