Friday, February 8, 2013
Razorbacks have their RB -- or do they?
By Vince Verhei
You hear a lot of strange tales in the world of football recruiting, but this is one of the weirder ones. A day after Signing Day, running back Alex Collins (Plantation, Fla./South Plantation) signed his letter of intent with the Arkansas Razorbacks. But that doesn't mean his presence on the roster is guaranteed this fall.
Robbie Neiswanger of the Arkansas News Bureau reports that Collins, age 18, needed a parent's signature to make his commitment official, and his father complied. His mother, though, wants her son to attend Miami, and she has hired a lawyer to “represent the family’s interests."
“Ms. McDonald understands that Alex has received consent from his father who has signed the letter-of-intent for him to play football for the University of Arkansas,” the Cochran Firm said in a statement. “However, our client’s initial intentions remain unchanged. She is a loving and caring mother who only wants her son to choose a university without any outside and inappropriate influences. Ms. McDonald hopes all NCAA rules and regulations were followed during today’s signing. She is not seeking any personal financial gain because her only concern is for Alex’s happiness and well being."
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema says he expects Collins' commitment to stand. “I’m confident myself, my coaches and the university, we dotted all the Is and crossed all the Ts," he said. "We worked with Jon Fagg in our compliance office (Wednesday) to get all the information we needed to get and get that letter signed.”
