Landon Collins

Collins' 70 tackles ranked 2nd among the team, only behind starting linebacker C.J. Mosley, despite only having started six games.

Landon Alexander Collins (born January 10, 1994) is an American football safety and linebacker who is a free agent.

At the 2011 Josten's Invitational, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown 4 × 100m squad, helping lead them to victory and setting a new school record at 41.10 seconds.

He also starred in the 2012 Under Armour All-America Game, recording an interception and keying a goal-line stand.

Also a standout track & field athlete, Collins was one of the state's top sprinters while at Dutchtown.

He won the 100-meter dash at the 2012 Episcopal 4-Way Championships, recording a personal-best time of 10.28 seconds.

He also posted a career-best time of 21.60 seconds in the 200-meter dash at the 2012 Josten's Invitational, where he placed first.

At the LHSAA Class 5A State Championships, Collins ran the second leg on the Dutchtown 4 × 200m squad, helping them claim the state title with a time of 1:25.40 minutes.

In addition, he also ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash and had a 36-inch vertical jump.

Regarded as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, Collins was ranked as the top safety prospect in his class and the third best player overall by 247sports.com.

ESPN, in their rankings of the 2012 class' top 150 high school football players, also listed Collins as the top ranked safety, but as the sixth player overall, while Rivals.com had Collins as their second best safety and 17th best overall player.

Recruited by nearly every major school, Collins narrowed his choice down to Alabama and Louisiana State.

He announced his decision live at the Under Armour All-America Game, choosing the Crimson Tide.

Upon choosing Alabama, Collins acknowledged that he "actually made the decision two years prior", but his mother, April Justin, was visibly displeased with her son's decision to choose the Crimson Tide over her LSU Tigers.

When Collins arrived in Tuscaloosa for his freshman season, then-defensive coordinator Kirby Smart noted that Collins was a young player struggling to adjust to the nuances of the college game.

Alabama went on to win the BCS National Championship in 2012.

After starting safety Vinnie Sunseri tore his ACL during Alabama's 52–0 win against Arkansas, Collins took over the starting job.

In his first game as a starter against Tennessee, Collins had an 89-yard interception return for a touchdown.

He finished the year with 70 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.

He played college football at Alabama, where he was a part of the team that won the 2013 BCS National Championship Game.

He was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Shortly after deciding to declare for the NFL Draft in January 2015, Collins recalled that as a freshman, "You're going to be lost. You don't know what's going on. You don't know the process of how everything goes."

As a true freshman at Alabama, Collins contributed as a backup.

He started on the kickoff and punt coverage units on and saw reserve action at safety in all 14 season games, recording 17 tackles and blocking a punt.

He tied for the team lead with 10 special teams tackles, including nine on kickoff coverage and one on punt coverage.

Collins was named to the 2016 All-Pro Team and went to three Pro Bowls during his tenure with them.

He has also played for the Washington Commanders.

Collins attended Dutchtown High School, in Geismar, Louisiana, where he was a two-sport star in football and track.

In football, he was an All-American defensive back.

As a sophomore, he had 26 tackles with 1.5 sacks, one interception and one fumble recovery, while playing alongside senior Eric Reid.

Replacing Reid, Collins accounted for 102 tackles with 12 tackles for loss and four interceptions as a junior, earning an 5A All-State selection by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.

The Dutchtown Griffins went unbeaten through the regular season and entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, only to be upset 29–14 by No. 24 New Iberia Westgate in the Class 5A quarterfinals.

The Griffins finished the season with a 12–1 record.

As a senior, Collins excelled on both sides of the ball.

On offense, he rushed for 1,218 yards and 21 touchdowns while averaging 13.7 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, in the defensive backfield, he had 34 tackles with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.

Collins became the first player in LSWA history to earn 5A All-State honors on both sides of the ball.

He led the Griffins to their second straight 10–0 regular season and District 5-5A title.

However, in the opening round of the 5A playoffs, they were upset 28–14 by Ponchatoula.

For his individual achievements, Collins earned All-American honors by Parade and USA Today.