How former Benedictine standout Caleb Collins has become influential coach with the Cadets
Benedictine's Luke Kromenhoek saw La'Don Bryan streaking down the left sideline Friday night in the Cadets' semifinal game with Troup County and the junior let fly with a strong pass.
As the ball left his hand, BC wide receivers coach Caleb Collins sprinted up the left sideline himself as he leaped into the air yelling "Go up and get it La'Don!" The junior did just that — making a spectacular catch for a 33-yard gain.
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It was a memorable moment in another Benedictine win as the Cadets cruised to a 42-21 victory. BC, the defending GHSA Class 4A state champion, advanced to the finals for the second year in a row.
BC (12-2) will face Cedartown (14-0) at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta on Friday with kickoff set for 3:30 p.m.
Benedictine runs through Collins' blood. His father Brian is from the Class of 1990 and his uncle Kevin graduated in 1992. His younger brothers Jacob (2016) and Daniel (2019) also played at BC.
Collins will be on the sideline once again firing up the Cadets with his enthusiastic coaching style. A BC graduate from the Class of 2009, Collins was a star running back and track and field athlete in his days as a Cadet.
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He went on to become a standout running back at Shorter University. He started his coaching career at Calvary Day before returning to his alma mater, where he has been an assistant football coach since 2016 — when BC won its second of three state titles.
"I always wanted to give back to Benedictine because it's been such a big part of my life," Collins said. "When I played, we didn't have the best teams. We went 6-5, 3-7 and 5-5 in my three years on varsity.
"AJ DeFilippis (now the BC offensive coordinator) was my quarterback in high school, so it's been really cool to come back and coach here. We've been able to get modern with a spread offense and change from the veer and wishbone we used to run, and it's been a lot of fun."
Collins, 30, who works at Benedictine in the school's maintenance department, is also an assistant coach with the track and field team.
He was listed at 5-foot-5 and 160 pounds in his senior year at Shorter. He is still the same size — staying in tip-top condition by putting time in the weight room and running with his athletes. He has been working out with former Cadet and Georgia Southern footbal star Wesley Kennedy III, who is set to announce soon where he will be playing in his final season of college ball.
"Caleb is still in incredible shape — he's as quick as Wesley is and is always out there with him, and that says a lot," BC coach Danny Britt said. "And Caleb is a guy we need on our staff. A lot of our coaches, including me, can come across as mean at times. But Caleb is the guy who puts his arm around a kid and says, 'Let me explain this to you.' He's our good cop and he has so much energy. The players love him and he loves the players. He's a great coach and has given a lot of his life to BC."
Senior Za'Quan Bryan, the star receiver and defensive back who has committed to play at Minnesota, said players love working with Collins.
"He's one of our younger coaches and is very energetic," Bryan said. "He likes to get involved and get out there on the field working on routes with us. He's also good in the film room, making sure we know our patterns and our blocking assignments. He's out early for every practice, and he's always the last one to leave."
Collins is excited about getting the chance to coach in his third state title game and loves winning as much as anyone else in the program. But he says coaching means more than adding hardware to the trophy case.
"And I love watching them develop. You see that progression they make from the first practice and all the work they have put in on the field, in the weight room and with school," Collins said. "For me, it's about the relationships I'm able to build with the kids."
Dennis Knight covers sports for the Savannah Morning News. Contact him at Dknight@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @DennisKnightSMN
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Benedictine alumnus Caleb Collins coaching football at alma mater
