There was some Signing Day drama yesterday when South Plantation running back Alex Collins, an Arkansas verbal commit, did not show up for his commitment ceremony at his high school. ESPN reported soon after that Collins’ mom had actually“confiscated” her son’s national letter of intent and took off with it.
Roughly 24 hours later, Collins has finally signed with the Hogs, though the story surrounding his decision isn’t over yet. While Collins’ father accompanied him to the ceremony (and signed the NLI), Collins’ mother was noticeably absent.
The Miami Herald reports that she has hired an attorney to represent the family “while she contemplates on signing the NCAA’s Letter of Intent” that will decide where her son plays football in college.” The attorney comes from the Cochran firm, founded by O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran.
It’s believed that Collins’ mother wants her son to attend Miami. What, if any, legal standing she would have to somehow prevent Collins from attending Arkansas will be interesting to follow -- the Razorbacks already have his NLI in hand, and speaking to his mom, Collins said they “had a better understanding” -- but it’s hard to imagine that Collins won’t end up in Fayetteville.
A four-star athlete according to Rivals.com, Collins became the 23rd member of the Razorbacks’ class with the signature.
“Alex is a great addition to this class,” Coach Bret Bielema said in a release. “He is an upstanding young man who has impressed us throughout our time getting to know him, and he focused on making a decision that was the best for him athletically, academically and socially. He has high character and is a student-athlete we are thrilled to bring into our family. He made it clear to us that he truly wanted to be a Razorback, which is what we want from everyone we sign.”
Updated 5:00 p.m. ET: The attorneys representing Alex Collins mother have released a statement on her behalf. Some interesting wording here.
“Ms. McDonald understands that Alex has received consent from his father who has signed the letter-of-intent for him to play football for the University of Arkansas. However, our client’s initial intentions remain unchanged. She is a loving and caring mother who only wants her son to choose a university without any outside and inappropriate influences. Ms. McDonald hopes all NCAA rules and regulations were followed during today’s signing. She is not seeking any personal financial gain because her only concern is for Alex’s happiness and well being. The Cochran Firm is standing by Ms. McDonald in this difficult time and has made all of the firm’s resources available to her as she explores her options.”