Five things to know about new Penn State football ST coordinator Stacy Collins
Penn State Nittany Lions football announced the addition of Stacy Collins as its special teams coordinator on Tuesday afternoon.
Collins replaces Joe Lorig, who left for Oregon. He will also coach Penn State’s outside linebackers and nickel corners.
Here are five things to know about the Nittany Lions’ newest staffer.
1. Collins has mentored several elite kickers
You won’t find many better track records developing kickers than what’s on Stacy Colliins’s resume.
Under Collins, Boise State kicker Jonah Dalmas earned first-team All-Mountain West Conference honors last season, as he connected on 26 of his 28 field-goal attempts and knocked through 38 of the 39 PATs.
But that’s just the beginning.
Collins helped Utah State kicker Dominik Eberle to a first-team All-Mountain West accolade. Eberle went on to sign a contract with the Las Vegas Raiders after hitting 21 of 24 field goals and all 45 of his PATs during the 2019 season.
In 2011, Portland State kicker Zach Brown earned All-American honors in the FCS with Collins on staff.
He’s done well with punters, too. In 2004, he coached Mike Koenen at Western Washington. Koenen played 10 seasons in the NFL.
2. Collins is the definition of a journeyman coach
Collins arrives at Penn State having coached at 10 different institutions previously, including Boise State, Utah State, and a stint in Austria.
Most of his experience has come working with special teams units and linebackers, which is what he’ll be asked to do with the Nittany Lions.
Penn State is his first stop at a Power Five program.
He brings a geographical footprint that the rest of the Nittany Lion staff doesn’t necessarily cover. Born in Oregon, he’s spent the majority of his coaching career in the northwest. He spent time with former ST coordinator Joe Lorig on staff at Western Oregon.
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3. In Collins, Penn State adds another assistant with head coaching experience
After locking down Manny Diaz as its defensive coordinator, Penn State added Collins — another coordinator with head coaching experience.
Collins oversaw the South Dakota School of Mines’s transition to the Division II level, taking the job in 2012.
Collins led the Hardrockers to winning seasons in 2013 and 2015 after making the jump from NAIA.
4. Collins’ ST units have proven capable of big plays
Penn State did not generate a special teams touchdown in 2021, despite having some excellent athletes available in the return game.
The Broncos found the end zone three times on special teams last season under Collins. Two of those came from blocked kicks — Boise State finished the season with four blocked kicks.
Broncos punt returner Stefan Cobbs also found paydirt on an 81-yard return for a touchdown. That was his only punt return attempt of the season.
5. Collins brings defensive chops to Penn State
Collins, of course, will also coach Penn State’s outside linebackers — as Lorig did previously — as well as the nickel corners.
He has held 12 different titles throughout his career that involved defense in some capacity. Collins has been a defensive coordinator at three different schools, and a co-defensive coordinator at Utah State in 2020.
