Notre Dame WR Beaux Collins Feeling at Home
Notre Dame receiver Beaux Collins had a busy spring as he was able to balance life between two schools.
The graduate transfer lived in South Bend, took three online classes to graduate from Clemson and tried to observe and learn the Notre Dame offense without practicing.
“It was a great time for me to just sit and reflect on all the things that I wanted to do going forward,” explained Collins. “Making the decision to transfer in December was a big decision. I had the time to sit back and reflect. I was able to luckily look at the playbook we had here with Coach coming in.
“It was a great time. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I wish I was out here, though. The spring game and all that, it was so much fun, but I just wished I was playing. Overall, it was good.”
Transferring is never an easy decision and it was difficult for Collins.
The California native had grown into a man within the Tigers program and formed strong relationships within the football facility.
“My time at Clemson was amazing,” stated Collins. “I met my best friends there. Coach (Dabo) Swinney, Coach (Tyler) Grisham, those dudes really have helped me as a man. Like off the field, just growing up, making the right decisions at all times.
“Coach Swinney’s very motivational, so there’s a lot of phrases that I remember from him to this day. As a player, they’ve taken me to the next level. Even just choosing to go there, it showed me that I could really do something with it. It was a great experience.”
Collins was very familiar with Notre Dame as he almost made the decision to sign with the FIghting Irish out of high school and the opportunity to finish his career in South Bend wasn’t something he could pass on.
“Clemson’s a tough place to beat because they have one of the biggest followings, they have receivers galore going to the league, stuff like that,” said Collins. “Notre Dame pretty much was neck-and-neck with Clemson in that aspect of it. You come here for the biggest brand in college football. Our games are televised nationwide, worldwide. The traveling opportunities, the network here. This network at Notre Dame is amazing. So why not be a part of it?”
There was also the familiarity of Notre Dame from facing them. Collins and the Irish secondary had a couple battles during his time at Clemson, including last year where he made three receptions for 37 and yards before Cam Hart knocked him out of the game with a shoulder injury.
Collins has no hard feelings and expected physical play for Notre Dame.
“Their physical presence,” Collins said when asked about what stuck out when playing the Irish. “When Notre Dame walks onto the field, you know you’re in for a dogfight. You have to strap it up for sure. Just the legacy that’s here. It’s second-to-none if you ask me.”
The 6-foot-2, 202-pounder also suffered a plantar fascia injury last fall, but that’s in the past and it didn’t require surgery.
“No surgery,” stated Collins. “If I just ripped it, they would have to snip it. It kind of did it itself, which was actually crazy. It kind of worked out like the best case possible for an injury like that.”
Collins is now healthy and catching up on building chemistry with Notre Dame’s quarterbacks, which he did in May.
Riley Leonard hosted Notre Dame’s receivers, along with CJ Carr and 2025 quarterback Deuce Knight, for a few days in Fairhope, Ala. The group was able to get in work on the field with Phillip Rivers but also spent some time away from football to simply enjoy themselves.
“That was an amazing trip,” Collins said. “I’ve been fishing before, but not out in the water in the bay and all that. We went fishing. We were at Philip Rivers’ house. He had a lot of knowledge that he shared with us about how he dissected film, how to be a better teammate. He gave us wisdom every day.
“We all meshed together. We stayed at this one place all together like same room and everything. It was like a guys' trip.”
Collins fully admits that one of the reasons he chose Notre Dame was Leonard choosing the Irish and his dedication to building relationships only confirmed that he had made the right choice.
“The only stories I’ve heard like that are guys who are already in the NFL,” said Collins. “The fact that he’s doing this, he’s serious about his business. He wants us to grow closer off the field, so that when we do come together this year, there’s no kinks in the link.”
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