Oregon State Football: Most Valuable Player Countdown - #8 Seth Collins

Junior WR Seth Collins’s career at Oregon State has been a roller coaster ride with both highs and lows. It all began in early 2015. Collins, a dual-threat Quarterback from San Diego, flipped his commitment from San Jose State to Oregon State. Collins graduated from Granite Hills High School early to join the Beavers for Spring Ball in 2015. Collins impressed the Coaching Staff all Spring and Fall and was officially named starter soon after the opener against Weber State. Collins displayed great athletic talent running the ball, but he struggled in the passing game. Beaver fans fondly remember Collins hurdling defenders, which appeared on many highlight reels. Collins missed 4 games in 2015 due to a knee injury. He would return to the field in time for the 2015 Civil War, but the Beaver Coaching Staff switched Collins to Wide Receiver, and he played some Running Back in the game. Collins scored 3 touchdowns in the game. It seemed like the coaching staff had finally utilized Collins’s strengths, which were his speed, intensity, and his athleticism. Things were looking bright for Seth.

Collins announced his intent to transfer to Northern Illinois to play Quarterback in February of 2016. However, Collins changed his mind during Spring Ball and rejoined the team. Collins earned a starting WR position in Fall Camp of 2016. Seth ended up with 36 catches, 418 receiving yards, and one Touchdown. In addition, Collins had 30 yards rushing on 15 carries. Those particular stats do not stand out, especially for a super dynamic athlete such as Collins. Keep in mind, the Beaver Offense really struggled for the first half of last season. There was also an overall lack of consistency on Offense, the Offensive Line struggled, and the Beaver Quarterbacks had difficulty with the passing game. Opposing Defenses are aware of Collins’s dynamic playmaking ability and focused on shutting him down.

After the UCLA game, Beaver Nation received scary news that Collins was admitted to the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis as a result of an undisclosed illness. Collins ended up making a full recovery, yet he missed the last two games of the season. There was the possibility of the Coaching Staff redshirting Collins for the 2017 season due to health reasons. However, it was decided that he would not redshirt. Andersen named Collins the starting Slot Receiver, which allows Collins to be involved with some fly sleeps along with his WR duties. Collins is expected to have a huge 2017 season.

“Seth is a playmaking sucker. He is the master of going up and getting the contested ball,” remarked Coach Gary Andersen.

According to the Oregonian, Seth Collins is out indefinitely with a finger injury he suffered during practice. It is not yet known how long he will be out, or if he will be ready to play in the opener at Colorado St. on August 26th. Once he is fully healthy, expect huge numbers from Collins since the Offense will have improved QB play. Also, Collins will be playing with other dynamic receiving targets such as Jordan Villamin, TE Noah Togiai, and Isaiah Hodgins, which will help keep defenders off of Seth. In addition, opposing defenses will focus on stopping Ryan Nall and an impressive stable of Running Backs, which will open things up in the passing game. So the question remains, will Seth Collins ever reach his full potential and rise to superstardom?