The X-Factor

Julian Collins Getting a Shot

By Bruce Wood
www.biggreenalert.com

Hanover -- The X-factor on next fall's Dartmouth football team is one of two people.

It's either sophomore tailback Chad Gaudet -- or perhaps the mystery tailback who replaces him.

Gaudet, you'll remember, was the surprise offensive hit of the Big Green in 2004. After watching the first four games from the sidelines and seeing limited action in the next two, the 5-foot-11, 200-plus tailback with the ability to either bowl over tacklers or run around them carried 16 times for 102 yards in a 13-12 loss to Harvard in Game 7. Two weeks later he recorded another century, gaining 137 yards on 37 carries in a win over Brown. He just missed a third 100-yard effort in four games in the finale at Princeton when he carried 30 times for 95 yards.

Gaudet was primed to be the workhorse of the Dartmouth offense last fall only to have his season ended and ultimately his career put in jeopardy when he suffered a leg injury on his first carry of the opener against Colgate. Without another back over 180 pounds and a young offensive line struggling to make holes, Dartmouth netted just 400 yards on the ground all year.

Although he worked hard to rehab the leg -- his injury was from a helmet-to-knee collision that required hardware to fix -- Gaudet is not with the team this spring. With his status for preseason camp in late August uncertain at best, the Dartmouth coaches had to prepare for the worst-case scenario of possibly not having Gaudet at all next season.

If that's the case, fifth-year senior Jason Bash, who ran for a team-high 320 yards last year, will be the most experienced back with rising sophomore Milan Williams (178 yards) also returning. But with Bash probably needing to sneak a bag of nickels into his shorts to top 180 pounds and Williams generously listed at 165 pounds, there's not much meat on the hoof. That being the case, rising sophs Andrew Seidman (195 pounds), Nate Servis (190) and Hudson Smythe (200) will all get a look as will several incoming freshmen, perhaps led by 5-10, 190 Robert Mitchelson.

Now, with the first week of spring ball drawing to a close, there's one more name to add to the mix: sophomore Julian Collins.

A reserve safety as a freshman, Collins was switched to outside linebacker last year although he was not credited with any tackles.

When the Big Green coaches caucused in the offseason and thought about the "big back" issue, Collins' name surfaced for several reasons. First, linebacker might well be the deepest part of the Big Green squad.

Next, Collins was an intriguing tailback/fullback in high school.

And finally, the square-jawed and chiseled 6-footer who would be central casting's dream tailback in a football movie, is well over 200 pounds.

The former All-Shore defensive back at Monmouth Regional High School in New Jersey made the move to offense just a few weeks ago.

"It wasn't official until I came back (from spring break," he explained. "Until then it was kind of like, I might be working on the other side of the ball, but I didn't know for sure.

"When I came back coach called me in and asked, 'How would you feel about moving to tailback?' I said I'll do whatever gets me on the field and whatever helps the team out. So I think it will be great."

Ironically -- and perhaps not surprisingly in hindsight -- Collins was recruited to Dartmouth by Adam Hollis, the Big Green's running back coach. "I think he can surprise a lot of people," Hollis said after Wednesday's practice.

Collins said he currently tips the scales between 210 and 215 pounds.

"We really don't have a big power back," the polite Garden Stater noted. "That's what coach mainly talked to me about. He said that's what we are looking for and that's what we need. He said it would be good if I wanted to play tailback.

"We ran kind of a Wing-T back in high school and we weren't that successful with it, but it was definitely fun being a running back and I'm looking forward to it."

Because he hasn't played the position for several years, Collins struggled trying to label his running style.

"Right now I guess it has to be the power game," he said. "I try to be kind of a tweener back. I'm not sure what you'd call it. I try to be able to do as much as I can, whether it's run between the tackles or outside. Catch passes. Blocking. Whatever it takes."

Buddy Teevens likes what he's seen so far.

"(One) of the guys that caught my eye was Julian Collins at the running back position," the coach said after Monday's practice. "He's got a little bit of shake (and is) a good-sized guy."

By Collins' estimate, when he was a running back before his senior year in high school he ran the 40 in the mid-4.5 range.

The former member of the Monmouth Regional indoor and outdoor track teams is the son of a former small college player and the nephew of former Wisconsin Badger Willie Collins.

"My dad is happy as long as I'm playing ball," he said with a laugh. "He was a running back himself so he kind of likes it. I changed my number as well. I was 36 and now I'm 2. My uncle was like, 'My son really liked No. 36!' "

Collins inherits his new number from speedster Ikechi Ogbonna, who ran for 247 yards last fall and went on to win the indoor Heps hurdles this winter.

"Two is one of my favorite numbers," said Collins. "I've got big shoes to fill."

Filling them, literally, shouldn't be a problem.

The Big Green's new "big" back carries at least 40 pounds more than last year's No. 2.

(Julian Collins photo courtesy of Dartmouth Sports Information)