Marque Collins Took ‘Leap Of Faith’ To Join BYU Football Program
Aug 2, 2024, 10:56 AM | Updated: 11:05 am
BYU football cornerback Marque Collins transferred in from Weber State. (Photo courtesy of BYU Photo)
(Photo courtesy of BYU Photo)
PROVO, Utah — Weber State graduate transfer Marque Collins (pronounced Mark) chose to play at BYU for his seventh and final year in college football.
Now that he’s in Provo, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound cornerback wants to make an immediate impact at cornerback.
Collins, a Sacramento, California native, is coming off an ACL injury he suffered last year at Weber State.
Marque Collins enters his seventh season in college football
The tough injury limited him to only two games last year. After that setback and the NCAA granting him a medical redshirt, he wanted a change of scenery for his final season.
“I took a lot of chances; ACL tear last year, I wasn’t sure what was going to happen,” said Collins to KSL Sports. “So I just took that leap of faith, jumped in the portal and ended up here. For me, this is the best decision I could have made.”
Competition at cornerback
Collins didn’t participate in spring practices after enrolling at BYU this past January. However, he’s “fully healed” and competing in fall camp practices for the second cornerback spot alongside star Jakob Robinson.
During week one of camp, Collins is battling with Mory Bamba, Evan Johnson, Therrian Alexander, and Marcus McKenzie to earn the starting cornerback role.
“All of us have the same expectation to come in and compete. My expectation personally is to come in and start. I love my teammates, but I’m competing with them every day.”
BYU football gives Collins a chance to reunite with Jay Hill
Collins’ arrival at BYU reunites him with his former head coach at Weber State, Jay Hill.
Hill enters his second season as BYU’s defensive coordinator. Collins knows what to expect from this scheme.
#BYU CB Marque Collins is glad to be competing again in Jay Hill’s defensive scheme.https://t.co/eiPXzQjypH#BYUFootball pic.twitter.com/VevcTvsIRu
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) August 2, 2024
When Collins entered the transfer portal, he wanted the chance to play for Hill.
“In the back of my head, I was like, I would love to go play for Coach Hill again. But it was a leap of faith. It ended up working out and I ended up at the perfect school.”
Collins feels comfortable in Jay Hill’s defense.
“I missed it a lot. That was my whole career; I was in that defense,” Collins said of playing in Hill’s defensive scheme again. “I know what I could do, so it’s just about proving to my teammates and coaches what I can do. So I’m excited about that.”
BYU’s secondary has big shoes to fill at cornerback as it looks to replace Eddie Heckard and Kamden Garrett. Both were Honorable Mention All-Big 12 performers last season. They were Collins teammates at Weber State.
Collins has talked to both former BYU players about what to expect in Provo.
“Similar to Weber State in the ways we work,” Collins said. “A lot of the things are the same. There’s not a lot different from Big Sky to Big 12. Obviously, size-wise, more resources and whatnot. But in terms of the differences, it’s not too much different. So I’m excited to show what I can do, not just on the FCS level, but more so on the biggest stage.”
BYU football kicks off the 2024 season later this month against the Southern Illinois Salukis on August 31.
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X: @Mitch_Harper.
