Alex Collins officially to Arkansas after family Signing Day mayhem

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:

At 5’11 and 208 pounds, Collins has the power to run over defenders, but also the athleticism to make them miss and eliminate angles. In a special year for running backs in Florida, some believe he is the best back in the state.

Some are less high on the relative football newbie - Rivals puts him as the No. 13 running back in the nation - but there’s obviously a lot of upside for a very physically talented player.

First, Collins planned to stay close to home, committing to Miami. But as Elliott wrote then, the writing was on the wall that the running back would decommit, and come November, he reopened his recruitment. However, he never ruled out the Hurricanes. Florida State was an early leader, Florida was in the running, and he had a strong visit with Arkansas, but Miami always poked its head into the picture.

In the end, it was the Razorbacks, but not without some serious Signing Day drama. Collins was set to fax his letter of intent to Arkansas, but his mother confiscated the paperwork to stall him, hoping he would stay close to home and play for Miami. Despite her attempts, though, Collins will be a Razorback after all is said and done, even though all might not be said and done:

Ratings: Scout, five stars (No. 3 RB), ESPN, four stars (No. 7 RB), Rivals, four stars (No. 13 RB)

Vitals: 5’11, 207 pounds, 4.45 40

Other offers: Florida, Florida State, Wisconsin, Miami.

Twitter: Collins tweets at @Budda03.

Recruitment timeline: Collins was originally committed to Miami, but decommited in November before announcing his decision on Feb. 4. Here’s a full look at his recruitment process.

Highlight video:

Look through SB Nation’s many excellent college football blogs to find your team’s community.