Seth Collins began the 2015 season looking like he may be the answer at the all-important quarterback position for Oregon State. Now, Collins will begin the 2016 offseason looking for a new place to play football.
In a move that seemingly came out of nowhere, OSU announced that Collins has elected to leave the Beavers and continue his playing career elsewhere. No reason was given for the decision, although there was speculation late last year that the coaching staff was considering moving Collins to receiver.
Whether that potential created some dissension between the two sides is unknown.
“Seth has made the decision to transfer and we wish him good luck,” head coach Gary Andersen said in a rather brief and terse statement.
“I thank Oregon State for a great year,” Collins said in his. “But it is in my best interest to pursue my education and football somewhere else.”
Collins, a two-star member of OSU’s 2015 recruiting class coming out of high school in California, started the first seven games of his true freshman season. However, a knee injury knocked him out of the next four, with Nick Mitchell taking over as the starter.
Despite missing one-third of the season, Collins led the team with 575 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns. In fact, he had more than half of the Beavers’ 15 rushing touchdowns.
Collins struggled in the passing game, however. He completed under 52 percent of his attempts, and had just six touchdown passes vs. four interceptions. If he had enough attempts to qualify, he would’ve been 101st in the country in passing efficiency.