Freshmen Faces: S Raleigh Collins III Bio, Evaluation + Projected Role

S Raleigh Collins III

Height: 6'3" Weight: 196 lbs

Hometown: Philadelphia, PA

High school: Neumann Goretti

Power Five Offers:

Boston College, Kansas, Maryland, Ole Miss, Oregon, Penn State, Pitt, West Virginia.

Group of Five Offers:

Army, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, UConn, Temple.

Evaluation:

Collins III has spent his high school career as a safety and is listed as such on the official team roster, but defensive coordinator Jordan Lesley and inside linebacker coach Jeff Koontz have identified him as a linebacker early in the recruiting process - it may be due to the fact of the bad intentions he has when approaching the ball carriers, delivering devastating blows and the ability to shed blocks and naturally, his size. He is versatile and athletic and may fit into the bandit role (Hybrid of linebacker/defensive back) and his physicality will be another welcome presence in the box. Then again, once he gets a closer evaluation and adds weight, he could shift to weakside linebacker. His versatility is exactly what makes him appealing in this WVU defense - an athlete, the coaching staff, can line up nearly anywhere, something the staff is evolving more towards.

Playing time projection:

If he stays at safety, there's an opportunity for Collins to see the field as a true freshman. He'll at least get a chance on special teams and will have four games to showcase what he can do while keeping his redshirt. If he officially moves to linebacker, I would expect this to be more of a sit and learn year for him as he looks to add on weight.

You can follow us for future coverage by liking us on Facebook & following us Twitter:

Facebook - @WVUonSI

Twitter - @SI_WVU and Schuyler Callihan at @Callihan_.

Add us as a preferred source on Google