Yesterday we wrote about newly offered instate Linebacker Prince Kollie. We subsequently had a chance to interview him about his recruitment below:
Q: What’s your current height and weight, and how old are you?
A: “6’1, 200 pounds. I turned 17 in March.”
Q: You play all over the field for Davy Crockett. What side of the field and/or positions do you feel are your best and which would you prefer to play in college?
A: “I feel like right now my best position is Safety, but I’ve gotten more and more comfortable with the idea of playing in the box as a LB. Really though I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help the team and get on the field”
Q: Do you feel like you’re a leader for the team? If so, what kind of leadership qualities do you bring?
A: “Yes sir, I’m expecting to be a leader for my team this upcoming season. I’ve got lots of great examples of leaders, from my older brother who was a leader on an undefeated team here at David Crockett a few years ago as well my Head Coach. He always says, ‘You have to lead from the front, not from the back,’ and I try to take that to heart”
Q: You’ve got an impressive GPA and some high-level academic schools have offered you. Talk about why school is so important to you.
A: “My family emigrated here from Liberia and both of my parents are teachers. Our family puts God and academics at the top, and I know that sports won’t last forever and that you’ve got to have a back-up plan.”
Q: Where have you visited so far, and which schools do you plan to see after the shutdown ends?
A: “So far I’ve been to a Tennessee for last season’s game against Mississippi State and I also visited Virginia and Wake Forest this spring before the shutdown. I would like to take some more visits when I can but I don’t have any planned at the moment.”
Q: Did you grow up a fan of any school?
A: “No sir, not really. More a fan of certain players.”
Q: Any Tennessee players in particular?
A: “The Linebacker that just graduated (Daniel Bituli). I like the way he plays the game.”
Q: Who at Tennessee gave you the offer and how did they deliver the news?
A: “Coach Derrick Ansley contacted me and told me he liked my film, then gave me his number and asked me to call. That’s when he told me about the offer.”
Q: How did it feel to get an offer from the instate team?
A: “Oh, it was big. That was the one I and some people around me have been waiting for. My Mom is ‘Go Vols’ all the way. She’s a big Titans fan, too.”
Q: Do you feel any instate pull to the Vols now that you have that offer?
A: “Absolutely. I really like the love the fanbase has shown me, it’s been overwhelming.”
Q: Where are you in your recruitment, and what schools are standing out at the moment?
A: “I’m still open. I don’t have a Top 10 or anything like that at the moment, but there are some schools standing out like Tennessee, Georgia, a couple of other SEC schools, and then some ACC schools like UVA and Wake Forest. Those guys were the first to offer and believe in me. I also like the smaller campuses since my high school is pretty small. I do have an idea of schools that the top though. I’d like to narrow it down with my family and my coach by the end of May”
Q: Given your academic prowess, are you familiar at all with the success guys like Josh Dobbs and Grant Williams – high profile professional athletes – also had off the field while at Tennessee?
A: “Yes sir, I’ve heard about both of those guys from friends and family, and they’re both great examples of how to get it done on and off the field”
Q: Lastly, anything else fans should know about you?
A: “Just that I and my family are very God oriented and our faith is extremely important to us.”
As should be obvious, Prince is an outstanding young man. Incredibly respectful and with a good head on his shoulders and family support system, he’s going to be an asset for whichever program he chooses. It does seem like Tennessee is in a good spot at the moment, though he wasn’t willing to come out and explicitly name any leaders. But the Vols do have his mother in their corner, and Tennessee being the homestate school definitely matters to him. Right now he’s not in any hurry to do something, but as we all know in recruiting things change by the minute, and we’ve seen throughout the last month or so in particular recruiting has become wilder than ever. What we do know is that Kollie’s stock has taken off, and with good reason. His will be a recruitment to watch as the Vols look to continue to stock their Linebacker room with dominant athletes while keeping the best Tennessee talent in Knoxville wearing Big Orange.