BREAKING: Georgia tight end Martavious Collins commits to Auburn
Tight end Martavious Collins, a former Alabama commitment, has committed to Auburn.
Collins, from Rome, Ga., announced his decision Friday on Twitter. He chose the Tigers over offers from Florida State, Ohio State, Tennessee, South Carolina, LSU, Notre Dame, Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas and Ole Miss, among others.
“I’m committing to Auburn,” Collins told Auburn Live.
Collins committed to Alabama last summer and remained firm in his pledge until February. That’s when he reopened his recruitment, a decision that came soon after a visit to Auburn.
Collins in March returned to Auburn for another visit and again for the A-Day Game on Saturday.
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Relationships big for Collins
Relationships with tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua and Hugh Freeze were big parts of his decision.
“Me and Coach Ben, we get along super good,” Collins said. “Me and him, we talk outside of just football stuff. We talk about life stuff and things outside of football.
“Sort of the same thing (with Freeze). We talk about my family and how I’ve been, how’s school, just staying updated with me.”
Collins is the fifth commitment in Auburn’s 2024 class and first from the state of Georgia. Auburn has commitments from four-star defensive backs A’Mon Lane and Jayden Lewis and four-star running back J’Marion Burnette, all from Alabama, as well as four-star quarterback Walker White from Arkansas.
Auburn getting versatile TE
Collins recently told Auburn Live’s Cole Pinkston what the Tigers are getting, which is a versatile tight end.
“I’m a tight end who can, in one play, put my hand in the dirt,” he said. “I can base block or down block, and then the very next play, you can put me out wide, run routes and catch the football. Then the next play you can put me in the backfield to do like a flat pass. I think they’re looking for those guys that can do everything.”
His receivers coach at Rome, D.J. Hazelray, agreed. In an interview with On3’s Alabama site, BamaInsider, Hazelray praised Collins for his work both on and off the field.
“I just love everything about the kid,” Hazelray told BI in July. “He’s always looking for ways to get better. Always asking questions. I coach him hard, but he’s never shied away from things I’m telling him or asking him to do. Puts extra time in. To watch the growth over the last year has been tremendous.
“If you put a linebacker on him, (Collins is) going to be more agile than him. If you put a corner on him, he’s going to be bigger than that corner or safety. He’s going to cause folks to really have to game plan. Folks were double and triple covering him [last year] just because he’s a nightmare for a corner.”
