Charlie Collins is right where he 'wanted to be' at Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE — Charlie Collins had a decision to make. Remain in the transfer portal, or return to his home-state program under Arkansas’ new coaching regime.
A Pine Bluff native, Arkansas was always the place Collins wanted to be. College football is a business, and sometimes decisions of that nature need to be made, but faced with a return to Arkansas, the choice was clear.
“This was always where I wanted to be,” Collins said Saturday. “Getting into the portal was not a part of my career process. It wasn’t planned or nothing like that. It was just, with unforeseen circumstances, I had to try to weigh my options a little. Once I met with Coach Silverfield, though, and Coach Roberts, our defensive coordinator, I knew it was the right fit.”
Collins figures to play a sizable role for the Arkansas defense next year, which is going to look different under defensive coordinator Ron Roberts. The former four-star athlete played in nine games and with three starts last season and amassed nine total tackles and one tackle for loss.
This year, Collins will be playing the “jack” position, which is somewhat of a hybrid defensive end and linebacker, Collins said it is a position he’s made for.
“I feel like the position fits my skill set,” Collins said. “I’ve comfortably grew into the position of learning the ins and outs of it. I wasn’t much of a coverage guy last year, so just sitting down with my coach, Coach (Jake) Jiannoni, going over coverages and learning coaches and learning the back-end aspect of the game really took my game to the next level.”
ALSO READ: Takeaways from Arkansas’ 12th spring practice
Charlie Collins has company at the jack
Collins said the jack position’s job is to set the edges and “make big plays,” and also said the defense as a whole wants to defend “every blade of grass” on the field. He’s not alone in that position, either, as Arkansas addressed the depth for the position heavily in the transfer portal and with retention from last year’s roster.
“(Steven) Soles, (Jamonta) Waller, Trent Sellers, Donovan Whitten,” Collins said. “Shout out to my guys. We got about five or six of us in the room, but some phenomenal guys, good rotation, and we never drop a beat with the rotation. Trust them guys wholeheartedly.”
The first two players that Collins mentioned there are transfers, and both come from SEC programs. Soles was a productive defensive end at Kentucky, where he logged 11 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks with two forced fumbles. He tied for the team lead in sacks.
Waller was highly-thought-of coming out of high school, but injuries have plagued him since he got to college. The former four-star edge rusher spent the past two seasons at Auburn, but a season-ending foot injury sidelined him as a true freshman and he didn’t see any action in 2025.
Because of the hybrid nature of the position, Collins said the jacks have to be versatile, which also allows them to flex their athletic muscle.
“It gives us a chance to work both aspects of the game,” Collins said. “Being down in the trenches and working some techniques. Caging, where you’d be taken on a base block. Also us being able to transition and work on some of our drops. The hook drops, curl, flat drops. Things of that sort. It opens us up a little bit more and gives us a little more freedom to show our athleticism.”
Collins and the Razorbacks will take the field for their Red-White spring football game on Saturday afternoon. There will be no TV or streaming for the game, so be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for the best coverage of Arkansas football.
