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USports Spotlight of the Week: Ryan Collins, DB, Toronto

Ryan Collins the standout defensive back is a massive player from Toronto and has great lateral movement.
Ryan Collins the standout defensive back is a massive player from Toronto and has great lateral movement.
  • Name: Ryan Collins
  • Position: DB
  • College: Toronto (Canada)
  • Height: 6’6
  • Weight: 230lbs
  1. Hello Ryan! Thanks for taking the time to speak with me. How are you doing? What are you up to these days? Please introduce yourself to our readers!
    • Hi, thank you for having me. I’m doing well, working on my kinesiology degree at UofT and preparing for winter camp. I’m in my third year of school and second year of eligibility since my first year was cancelled by the pandemic. I’m a big DB at 6’6 230, and have been playing football since my freshman year of high school. I have always enjoyed team sports, and have really fell in love with the strength training and performance aspect since I started playing football.
  2. What got you into football? & Why do you enjoy playing football?
    • My parents had me interested in football at a young age as they are big Hamilton Tiger-Cat fans, and we’d watch games together weekly, on TV or at Ivor Wynne stadium. Going into high school at St. Jean de Brebeuf in Hamilton I tried out for the football team and performed better than I expected, which made me think that football’s something that I could go far in. I enjoy playing football because it’s the ultimate team sport. If everyone’s clicking and on the same page, the game goes well, but if one person is off, it can mess the whole team up, so we really are one unit. It’s also very competitive and doing your job usually means winning a matchup with the person across from you, so you have the opportunity to get a little win on every play.
  3. What are your goals as a football player and as an overall person?
    • My goal as a football player is firstly, to make a deep playoff run, we’ve been stuck at a first-round elimination the past two years, and I believe we can go further, and do some things that UofT hasn’t been able to in a while. Personally, I want to take my career as far as I can, whether that be USports, Europe, CFL, or NFL, I want to know where I stand among the best of the best. After my football career is over, I intend to travel a little bit before getting into my career, which as of now looks like strength and performance.
  4. How do you feel going into your 3rd year at Toronto?
    • I feel really good, I’ve grown a lot as a player since my first year, and our team is full of solid guys. We’re losing some key guys to the draft and graduation, and I wish the best to those guys, but we have a bunch of guys that have been waiting behind them and they’re hungry. As I said I think we’re due for a deep playoff run and we’ll just have to work hard and see how it goes.
  5. What was your best game last season? How did you feel after the game?
    • My favourite game this year was the last regular season against McMaster, it was a win and get-in for both teams, and being from Hamilton, I felt very comfortable going back there to play. It was an extremely competitive, hard-fought game from both sides, but it was great to come out with the win and earn ourselves a playoff spot for the second straight year.
  6. What’s your typical fitness routine?
    • My fitness routine has 4-5 lifts a week, and 3 practices/speed sessions.
  7. What is your favorite defensive scheme and why?
    • My favourite defensive scheme was one that we added this year that had me in the box a little more often.
  8. What would you tell a team during a draft interview?
    • I have a great combination of size and athleticism and you’d be able to move me around, I also have a great work ethic and love to compete.
  9. What would you tell aspiring football athletes?
    • Focus on the basics. Get strong on the main lifts: squat, bench, clean, as well as accessories, and get fast by sprinting. Play and watch football and really try to understand the game. Don’t overthink things, just work hard and you’ll get better.
  10. Do you have any highlights you want to show?

What’s your Twitter/Instagram? So, any potential fans/scouts can check you out!

Thanks for speaking with me! All the best with your football career!

Thank you and thanks again for having me.

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