Chris Collins jumped at a chance to join the UK football program. (Georgia State Athletics Photo)
New Kentucky defensive backs coach Chris Collins called Kentucky coach Mark Stoops a “legend in the game of football” when it comes to coaching defense and defensive backs.
However, he had never had a personal conversation with Stoops until UK had a coaching vacancy with the departure of Steve Clinkscale to Michigan.
“I knew him from afar and admitted his work,” Collins said Friday. “As a head coach here, he’s done a phenomenal job. Our first conversation was throughout this interview process. We’ve had many since then.”
Collins, 32, got on Stoops’ radar because of former Frederick Douglass High School coach Brian Landis, who is now the inside linebackers coach at Georgia State where Collins was safeties coach and recruiting coordinator. Landis was also on the Kentucky staff under Stoops as a defensive quality control coach in 2016 before he took over the program at Frederick Douglass.
“We’re sitting in the office one afternoon and Landis, my guy, he comes in – and Landis bleeds Kentucky blue by the way – he came in my office and said, ‘Hey, coach Steve Clinkscale is leaving (Kentucky), would you be interested?'” Collins recalled. “I said, ‘Yeah, sure.’
“Literally that was the conversation. Long story short, I guess he reached out to a few guys here and kind of got the pulse for what the situation was, kind of what coach Stoops was looking for, coach (Brad) White was looking for and gave them my information.
“From there, I guess they did their due diligence, called around, asked different people and all those things.”
Obviously, Stoops liked all he heard about Collins from those he called. He also was immediately impressed with Collins.
“Going through the hiring process for this job I talked to several candidates but each time I talked to Chris I came away more and more impressed with him,” Stoops said in a release from UK. “He brings great energy and enthusiasm to the staff on the field and as a recruiter. We are very excited to have him on board.”
Collins said Friday he was thrilled now to be part of the UK football program.
“Coach Stoops has done a phenomenal job building this team and this brand,” Collins said. “I am excited to be with these coaches and this program.”
