Alex Collins football recruiting updates

Alex Collins has signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks Thursday after his Monday night committal, ending a story that’s dragged on and only gotten crazier since early Wednesday. His father intervened after his mother interfered in his signing, sitting by his side during his second ceremony of the week. His mother isn’t around, but Collins tells CBS Miami all is well.

Collins is an elite Florida running back in a class filled with them. He really burst onto the scene quickly, only picking up football as a high school junior after playing basketball and lacrosse. He was tough to miss: 5’11, 207 pounds, and capable of running a 4.45 40. He quickly rose to the top of several recruiting lists, with Scout tabbing him as a five-star prospect and the No. 3 running back in the country. Here’s what SB Nation’s Bud Elliott had to say about the back after he decommitted from Miami:

Alex Collins’ recruitment became the wildest of 2013 on Wednesday, with reports that his mother had confiscated his National Letter of Intent to Arkansas in hopes of getting him to sign with hometown school Miami. Despite the drama, though, multiple reports late Wednesday suggested Collins will still sign with the Razorbacks.

Collins is a four- or five-star prospect, according to recruiting services. He was long thought to be a Miami lean, as his South Plantation High School is located in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. But the Canes’ chances waned as Collins’ recruitment wore on. Arkansas coach Bret Bielema’s relationship with Collins, which dated back to Bielema’s time at Wisconsin, won out in the end.

It appears that there may soon be a conclusion to the wildest story of National Signing Day 2013.

That story?

Yes, there’s now a LSUFreek version:

1:35 Update: There may soon be a resolution to this story if Collins can track down his dad and have him sign the letter of intent to Arkansas.

Arkansas landed five-star running back recruit Alex Collins Monday as he announced for the Razorbacks over Miami on Fox Sports South.

Alex Collins is an elite Florida running back in a class filled with them. He really burst onto the scene quickly, only picking up football as a high school junior after playing basketball and lacrosse. He was tough to miss: 5’11, 207 pounds, and capable of running a 4.45 40. He quickly rose to the top of several recruiting lists, with Scout tabbing him as a five-star prospect and the No. 3 running back in the country. Here’s what SB Nation’s Bud Elliott had to say about the back after he decommitted from Miami:

Plantation, FL running back prospect Alex Collins will announce his college commitment Monday night at 10 p.m. ET on Fox Sports South. Miami, Arkansas, Wisconsin, and Florida are reportedly in the mix for the top recruit’s services, though most believe that list has narrowed to two. As our Bud Elliott has predicted:

Collins initially committed to Miami, but reopened his recruitment in December. He gave no particular reason for the change of heart, and the Hurricanes remained in the race. After a flirtation with Florida State that ended when the Seminoles shook up their coaching staff, Collins appeared to settle on Wisconsin. When Bret Bielema and his staff moved to Arkansas, Collins’ interest moved with them. Running backs coach Joel Thomas, who came to Arkansas from Washington, has aggressively pursued Collins since landing in Fayetteville.

Alex Collins has had an interesting recruitment.

The top running back recruit in Florida, out of Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) South Plantation High School, was originally committed to Miami, but often wavered. He decommitted before Christmas and named Florida State as his leader. Running back coach Eddie Gran then left Florida State for Cincinnati, which hurt the Seminoles’ chances. Long a fan of Wisconsin, the Badgers seemed to drop out of the race when its coaching staff left for Arkansas. That move put Arkansas in the race.

Collins enjoyed his official visit, per 247 ($):

However, he still was uncertain about the prospect of continuing sanctions, saying it didn’t come up when he visited the school.