Judge Collier hoping to be the next great to come out of 'Football City, USA'
It’s easy to drive down Interstate 77, fly by the Rock Hill exits and think nothing of it. But what you might miss on this drive is a city with a rich football history.
Rock Hill, South Carolina. Home to “Football City, USA,” which has three public high schools: Rock Hill, Northwestern and South Pointe. Some of the best talents have played football here.
From a South Carolina perspective, there’s Jadeveon Clowney, Stephon Gilmore and Tori Gurley, among others. The latest trying to etch his name onto that list of greats is sophomore defensive back Judge Collier.
“If I were able to do what I’m supposed to do, be able to solidify my name with the rest of those guys coming out of Rock Hill, that would definitely be something I would want to do,” said Collier, who played at Legion Collegiate Academy.
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With the way injuries impacted the Gamecocks last year, Collier was able to find the field more often that not as a freshman. His numbers weren’t eye-popping, finishing with 10 tackles and a fumble recovery.
But that’s not the biggest takeaway. It was getting the experience much sooner than he could’ve expected. And that’s something that will only benefit him going into this year where he will be playing a lot more.
“When my number was called on and they threw me out there in the game, I feel like I did what I was asked,” Collier said. “I feel like I did what I was supposed to do for the most part. Continue to grow and go into next season. But I feel like I’m learning a lot this spring and take that into fall camp and next season.”
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As Collier enters his second year of spring football, he feels a lot more ready for what’s to come. It was easy to feel overwhelmed and at times lost by everything that was going on. But now, he gets it.
“With it slowing down, the game comes easier,” he said. “You get to see stuff that you didn’t see or I probably wouldn’t have seen last year. Just progressions and stuff like that. So slowing the game down has definitely helped.”
