Vanderbilt commit Collin Flanigan Looking to Create Football Legacy in Basketball Family

Before Vanderbilt defensive back commit Collin Flanigan finished his official visit weekend at Vanderbilt, he and his family weren’t going to leave town without stopping by Vanderbilt basketball assistant coach Rick Ray’s house. 

Flanigan’s father, Wes, was an assistant coach under Ray in all three of Ray’s seasons as the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2012-2015. The Vanderbilt basketball assistant let the football staff do Flanigan’s recruiting themselves, but did tell him that he’d be there for him anytime he needed him if he ended up committing to Vanderbilt. 

“I’ve known them for really my whole life,” Flanigan said of Ray and his wife. 

Flanigan’s Vanderbilt commitment had more to do with the pitch Vanderbilt cornerback’s coach Jamaal Richardson–the leader in his recruitment–made, but having a familiar face in town certainly didn’t hurt Vanderbilt’s chances. 

Ray’s proximity to Flanigan will also give him a new title. 

“We’ll call Rick the godfather of one of the Flanigan children now,” Wes Flanigan told Vandy on SI. “He has a great family and he’s a guy that I respect and obviously trust. Collin and him, for whatever reason, have always had a great relationship even when Collin was little.” 

It’s rare that a football recruit visits with a basketball assistant, but Flanigan’s connection with Ray is unsurprising with the context of his basketball-oriented family. 

Flanigan’s father is a longtime SEC assistant that has coached at Auburn, Mississippi State and is now an assistant for Chris Beard at Ole Miss. His grandfather, Al, is a legendary high school coach in Arkansas. His uncle was a four-year starter at Ole Miss. His older brother, Allen, was a starter at Auburn and Ole Miss. 

As a kid, Flanigan was often around his dad’s Arkansas Little Rock, Mississippi State and Auburn teams. He loved watching former Auburn guard Tre Donaldson go about his business. He loved basketball. 

Flanigan’s father always had a suspicion that his son liked football more, though. More often than not, Flanigan would walk in to his son’s room and catch him watching football highlights on YouTube rather than basketball highlights. 

“He always knew more [football] players than I did,” Flanigan’s father–who grew up playing football and says he watches “a lot” of it–said. “He kept up with their stats and everything.” 

Flanigan’s father attributes living in a football town like Auburn, Alabama, for five years and an experience that he wouldn’t describe as “great” with basketball to his son’s eventual choice to become a Division-I football player rather than a basketball player. Pair that with a few football coaches of his in Auburn that did a “great job” and most of his friends playing football, and Flanigan was hooked.

For as much basketball as he was around, Flanigan “grew up loving” football. All of his past experience matters in that regard, but perhaps watching his favorite player Tyrann Matheiu’s LSU highlights was enough in itself to swing him. Matheiu’s game–predicated on coming down in the box to hit and showing off his range and ball skills–resonated with Flanigan and lined up with his reasoning for ultimately choosing football over basketball.

“I played basketball, but I really just liked football more,” Flanigan told Vandy on SI. “I like being physical and really just being on the field making plays. I think I was always better at football because I can just be out there having fun and in basketball it’s more skill [based] really.” 

Flanigan’s love for football grew as a kid as he watched his older brother play and watched games on TV with his family. Flanigan’s dad took him to numerous SEC games throughout his childhood and brought him around the environments that he’ll be playing in as a college player at Vanderbilt. 

All the lights he’s been under as a fan as well as the locker rooms and practices he’s been in as a result of his family members have prepared him for what he’ll see in a year as a college freshman. 

“Most definitely,” Flanigan said when asked if being around college programs in his past prepared him for a future in college football. “From being young, just working hard, having a good work ethic and just sticking to the plan, trusting the process and waiting your turn [is what I learned].”

Now Flanigan will embark on a mission to use what he’s learned to create his own legacy in a family that already has its own.