“Personally, this game means a lot,” he said. “I just want to show them I picked the right team, definitely that we’re the dominant force, that we’re the best team in the SEC. Show them, basically, that I picked the better team.”
Collins, who was a highly rated recruit out of Dutchtown High School in Geismar, Louisiana, chose Alabama over LSU two years ago. Collins made the decision at the Under Armour All-American Game, and it ended up going viral because of the displeasure that his mom, April Justin, showed in his decision. Justin said at the time that she thought her son should have chosen LSU over Alabama.
Collins said fans still give him a hard time about the decision and his mom’s reaction to it.
“Constantly,” he said. “Everybody, the biggest is about my mom and asking ‘Is your mom still an LSU fan?’ and stuff like that. I’m like, ‘Nah, she just cheers me on.’”
Alabama has won its last three games against LSU. Collins has been a part of the last two victories, playing a big part in last year’s game at Bryant-Denny Stadium, recording four tackles and recovering a fumble.
Even though he was only a freshman when Alabama last played there, he has been to enough night games at Tiger Stadium to know what the atmosphere will be like.
“At night time, it is just straight LSU,” he said. “The fans just change. It’s just different. They are just there for the team and they support them.”
Collins said he knows many of the LSU wide receivers, but he doesn’t expect there to be a lot of trash talking.
“I don’t think the wide receivers want to chat with me,” he said.
