ORLANDO, Florida. — They have a nickname for the Citrus Cheez-It Bowl around Woodlawn High School. It has nothing to do with the teams playing next week or even the title sponsor. The names that coaches and teammates jokingly tossed around throughout the month referred to their star quarterback, Rickie Collins.
“They call it the Rickie Bowl,” Collins’ grandfather, Ricky Collins, said.
There aren’t many ties between No. 17 LSU and Purdue, if any. They had never played football against each other until now. They belong to different conferences. Coaching teams don’t share long stories. And they almost never chase the same recruits, with one notable exception in the Class of 2023.
Collins signed on to Purdue his freshman year without feeling any genuine interest from Ed Orgeron’s regime, and he might have signed in a different world. Then changes happened at Purdue, and LSU’s new staff focused their quarterback search on him over the summer. Baton Rouge initially opted out in August and chose the Tigers nine days later.
Last week, Collins officially joined a talented quarterback room. Collins, a four-star and the No. 16 overall quarterback in the nation according to the 247 Sports Composite, he will likely be redshirted as he develops. Starter Jayden Daniels is back. LSU also has redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier and former top-40 rookie Walker Howard.
“These guys have been in the program like veterans,” Collins said. “I can learn from these guys and have a chance to compete for a job. That’s all I wanted.
Before signing up in early January, Collins will look to the team he signed to play the one he first joined. He thought it was “a funny coincidence” when LSU and Purdue paired up in the Citrus Bowl. The year he basically chose between them, they play on a soccer field for the first time.
His family laughs thinking about it. Who could have foreseen this?
“A few days before, my husband said, ‘What if Purdue played LSU in a game of bowls? ‘” Collins’ mother, Precious, said. We had a good laugh about it. Then when it was announced, we were like, ‘What?!’ All of our friends on social media have tagged us saying, “It’s the Rickie Bowl.”
Growing up, Collins didn’t really shoot hard for either team. His grandfather, who ran the youth sports organization where he started out as a quarterback, said Collins always loved Ohio State. But the Buckeyes never showed serious interest in the laid-back double threat with a strong work ethic, 40-inch vertical leap and academic honors.
“You show him something once,” Collins’ grandfather said, “and (if) he doesn’t get it that day, he’s going to arrange to go and work on it and work on it until ‘when he comes back to training, he’s going to have it.’
Purdue wanted Collins. Special teams coordinator and defensive assistant Marty Biagi led his recruiting, and Collins connected with the coach. Biagi had married a woman from New Orleans. He put Collins at ease. Everything seemed genuine with him, and relationships mattered more than anything to Collins when making a decision.
“Once we got to Purdue, they didn’t really need to do too much,” Collins’ grandfather said, “because Biagi had already won it over.”
At the time, LSU did not show the same interest. Collins had to work for a staff scholarship offer from Orgeron, only getting one after several camps and Woodlawn won a 7-on-7 tournament at LSU for the second straight year in June 2021. Even after Orgeron gave him the offer, Collins favored Purdue. .
“It didn’t seem authentic to Rickie,” Collins’ grandfather said. It seemed like (Orgeron) was trying to please people or something instead of focusing on him. He wasn’t going to LSU.”
Then the coaches changed to both programs. LSU fired Orgeron last October, coincidentally a week after Collins committed to Purdue. Biagi left to become Ole Miss’ special teams coordinator in March, and Collins’ family heard rumors of major changes coming long before Purdue head coach Jeff Brohm moved to Louisville this month.
“The relationship at Purdue was great, but LSU took the lead in that aspect,” Collins said. And staying at home was always going to play an important role in the end.
LSU’s new coaches recruited Collins once they arrived. Quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan already had a relationship with him from Louisiana Tech, and Sloan stayed in touch all year, even as he watched five-star quarterbacks like Dante Moore and Jaden Rashada. These quarterbacks picked different schools, and LSU focused on Collins to sign a quarterback in that class.
“They made him a priority,” Collins’ grandfather said. “They always make it feel like that.”
“The authentic feel was there before they started getting aggressive,” Precious Collins said.
Last week, Collins celebrated his signing with LSU at Sneaker House on College Drive. Family and friends filled the store. They know the owner well and Collins has a name, image and likeness there. A purple carpet led to a table surrounded by purple and gold balloons. Giant letters spelling out “LSU” stood in front of the area.
Collins walked around posing for photos and chatting with guests. His family would have gone to see him play anywhere, even in cold West Lafayette, Indiana. But signing with LSU made things much easier. They all live in Baton Rouge or New Roads. They don’t have to travel far to see his college career unfold.
But before that begins, Collins and his family will watch the Citrus Bowl together and see the two teams that contributed the most to his recruiting.
“Everyone was asked how I felt about it,” Collins said. “I am a tiger.”
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