Film Don't Lie | Prince Kollie
Notre Dame had always planned to be selective at linebacker in the 2021 cycle, but they didn’t leave themselves much margin for error. As we entered the spring, the target list at the position had dwindled, but they weren’t sending out many new offers.
They instead chose to focus on a few candidates, specifically Rovers, and they couldn’t walk away from this class without landing at least one given how the depth chart is going to look in the fall of 2021. Things got narrowed down to Prince Kollie or bust.
You know by now that things didn’t go bust. Clark Lea landed his coveted prospect in Kollie and Notre Dame has just added a linebacker with the potential to make a significant impact in their defense.
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200
Projected Position: Rover
ISD Grade: 91 (4-star)
National Average Grade: 89.5 (4-star)
What he does best:
Kollie is an exciting athlete. He can flat out run and has the type of speed that will allow him to excel making plays on the perimeter. This play where he chases it down from the backside is one example of his speed allowing him to make a play even when he’s not supposed to.
He’s a Havoc machine. He has terrific hand-eye and has a knack for getting his hands on the football like on this batted down pass where he leaps to make the play.
And he’s constantly looking to be disruptive like on this forced fumble.
Kollie is a knock back tackler who does a great job wrapping up and finishing. He’s a downhill player and doesn’t rely on just his athleticism to make plays. Seeing a guy his size run through a pulling guard and then make a tackle for loss is uncommon.
A talented receiver on offense, he shows plenty of potential as a coverage player with his ability to change directions and very good ball skills.
What he needs to improve:
While he shows some violence as a tackler, he needs to be better at using his hands to defeat blocks. There needs to be more shock in his hands, even against receivers trying to block him.
There are some examples of him playing off the ball in the box and if he’s going to ever make the transition to the inside at Buck, his recognition needs to improve quite a bit. He’s pretty much allowed to attack as an additional defender without having to take on blocks or making a lot of reads.
Lea is a great teacher who should help him develop his current weaknesses into strengths.
What’s his ceiling?
His rating is a little off from what it should be because Rivals does such a poor job of evaluating hybrid players like him who are a fit in most defenses in today’s college football. He’s an outstanding prospect, though, who is as good of a pure football player as he is as an athlete.
Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a similar prospect in high school to Kollie with both of them playing a Rover type of position on defense and starring as a receiver on offense. JOK is a twitchier athlete than Kollie, but aside from that, I see a lot of similarities in their skill sets.
There’s going to be a golden opportunity for Kollie to be an impact player and multi-year starter at Rover for the Irish starting in 2022. He may eventually develop physically to the point where he can slide inside to Buck.