Penn State has picked up another defensive back through the transfer portal. Audavion Collins has announced his commitment to play for the Nittany Lions through the portal. Collins comes from Mississippi State, and Penn State has recently lost a defensive back to the portal with Storm Duck. Collins announced the transfer via his Instagram on Tuesday, May 16th. Here is a look at Audavion Collins’ collegiate history and why his commitment to Penn State is an interesting pick.
Audavion Collins’ Transfer
DB Audavion Collins – Jeremy Johnson/On3
Collins has only spent one season at Mississippi State. In his first year, he did not get any playing time. While it is common for a true freshman not to play in any games, Collins still took the risk and entered the transfer portal. Penn State recently lost cornerback Storm Duck in the transfer portal, and it does make sense why they would pick another player up before the 2023 season.
It was announced a couple of days ago that Penn State would be hosting Collins on a visit. With Collins not playing his freshman year, Penn State will be able to keep him on the roster for an extra year. Of course, this will depend on if Collins stays with the Nittany Lions.
Audavion Collins Stats
While Collins never played at Mississippi State, he was a three-star commit. According to Mississippi State, during Collins’ senior year of high school, he recorded 62 total tackles and broke up 19 passes. While he has not had game snaps in over a year, after a season of practicing at the collegiate level, he has had a period of adjustment.
Penn State Cornerback Johnny Dixon – Grace Brennan/FOS/247 Sports
Was Audavion Collins Picking Penn State Smart?
If Collins decided to leave Mississippi State due to playing time, picking the Nittany Lions may not work out well for him. There is a solid chance that Collins will not see the field in the 2023 season based on the Nittany Lions’ current roster. Penn State has their top two cornerbacks, Johnny Dixon and Kalen King. Dixon is a senior, while King is a junior. The third spot can arguably be up in the air but will most likely go to Sophomore Cam Miller. Miller did get to play in 2022 despite being behind Dixon, King, and Joey Porter Jr.
The Penn State secondary did well in the 2022 season, and there is a chance that Collins was drawn to that. Perhaps he is okay not seeing the field often, if at all, in 2023. Even if he does not play this coming year, he could always have a shot in 2024. Depending on how the season goes, this could be both King and Dixon’s final season. This means Collins will definitely have a shot to be a big part of the team’s defense in 2024.
Penn State Secondary – Joe Hermitt/PennLive/The Patriot-News
What could make this a smart decision is that Penn State has been wanting to add depth to the defensive back position. This was no secret and could have been what made Collins feel wanted by a team. There is so much unknown with the defensive back since he did not play in 2023. Penn State could very well find a way to utilize him. Injuries also are an inevitable part of sports. If anything happens, Collins will be able to see the field.
When Penn State hired Manny Diaz as the defensive coordinator, there was a new spark. Collins playing under the defensive coordinator can really help his game. Audavion Collins has four years of eligibility left, which is valuable to Penn State. The team could lose a lot of players on defense to the draft within the next year and will need to make sure they have enough players they can trust to step in.
It will be interesting to see if Collins plays this season, but as for Penn State, they got the cornerback depth they were looking for.
