Archie Collins IV is Determined to be a Division I Football Player

“There is no telling how the future will go, but I want to be a football player, and I feel as though I have a bigger future in football than wrestling because of my dad,” Collins said. “He has connections that can help me throughout my high school career that will get me opportunities that some other kids can’t and I’m grateful for where I’m at today and the opportunities I have.”

Collins spends as much time as he can with his dad outside of work, but he’s spent a lot of time down at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, too. He’s learned a lot from his dad, but it’s almost like he’s just another player when he’s down there.

“I feel like I get treated like I’m a player at Pitt right now,” Collins said. “I get much love from the whole Pitt staff and players; very good people and I was talking to them back in August when they were in their camp, and they were giving me tips about how their high school career and what I can do to make my high school career better.”

The message? Put in as much work as possible, and keep at it, in the quest to achieve his goal. Put in the work and the results will come.

And the message from his dad? Never give up. And impose your will in everything you do. Put in the work and the results will come.

“To me, that’s always been the way I’ve looked at things because imposing my will against someone just shows who I am in all the sports that I do,” Collins said. “My record in wrestling right now is 10-0, last year, 2023, I had a rough match. It was 17 and 5, it was going to the third period, I think there were two minutes left, and I came back and won the match. And that’s just who I am, never give up and always impose my will.”

Being around the Division I football level for just about his entire life, Collins has seen the work that it takes to reach his dreams. And he’s determined to make those dreams a reality.

His dad has been a role model, obviously, but sometimes the message hits home when it comes from someone currently in the position, someone like Rashad Battle or Damarri Mathis.

“Rashad Battle, his leadership on the team and the defensive back room just stands out to me and I feel like I’ve learned a lot from him, too,” Collins said. “He’s always on everybody for being late on stuff like that and if something’s wrong, he’ll always be on them to make sure it won’t happen again. He’s a very good player. Also, I’d say Damarri Mathis. He is one of my favorite Pitt DBs that my dad coached. He’s a good guy; he’s a real good guy.”

There’s a lot of work to do to reach the level of Battle, and then again to reach the level of Mathis, who is playing in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, and like Collins said, it’s too early to tell what the future holds. But it’s his goal to be a Division I football player.

It all starts now, with the preparation he’s putting in to make an impact as a freshman, and it’s a long road. But he’s determined to have his dad come around not just as a father but as a football coach.

“I just find that ironic because I’m his son and he’d be recruiting his son,” Collins said.