His coaches call him the doctor. His teammates call him the creature.
No matter what you call him, Fletcher Collins’ Bobcat career has been nothing short of transformative and remarkable, due in equal parts to the brain power that earned him the former nickname and the work ethic that earned him the latter moniker.
Once upon a time, Collins was an unknown walk-on who probably would have rather been playing basketball, a raw player who essentially ended up on the Bobcat football team because Jason McEndoo could not stand the thought of the Seattle native playing for the rival Grizzlies. The linebacker out of Seattle Prep toiled in obscurity, an irrelevant factor in Montana State’s linebacker corps for his first three-plus years in Bozeman.
MSU linebacker Fletcher Collins (59)/by Dean Hendrickson
Through relentless hard work in the weight room and the classroom, now the 6-foot-2, 220-pounder has carved out a role as the lynchpin of Montana State’s rebuilding defense. The fifth-year senior is MSU’s starting middle linebacker and the captain of the Bobcat defense. Academically, the disciplined student has already earned his degree in cell biology and neuroscience and is working on minors in English and psychology this semester before applying to medical school this winter.
“That’s what’s great about this profession seeing a guy like him, stories like his,” Montana State associate head coach and linebackers coach Kane Ioane said. “He’s relatively new to the game of football. He was a basketball player most of his high school career. We got him fresh when he came here. He was really green. He knew close to nothing about the game of football, let alone the linebacker position. He stuck with it. He persevered through the walk-on years, through really being stuck low on the depth chart, trying to learn from the guys in front of him.
“When his opportunity came along last year, he was ready to jump all over it. Not only Xs and Os, but he got himself in physical shape, got himself into the physical state he needed to be to be successful at this level. Now he’s a senior captain and a starter who we rely heavily on.”
With Montana State entrenched in a heated battle with fierce rival Montana in 2013 in Bozeman, Collins found himself on the field for a Bobcat defense reeling from a plague of injuries. He looked completely out of place, both in his poise or lack thereof and his still developing football movement. The following season, his third in Bozeman, he again toiled in obscurity and again battled injuries, playing in just six games on special teams and recording just one tackle, the first of his career.
Collins spent most of his time studying the human brain, not the upcoming Bobcat opponent. While his grade-point average shined, his scout team status seemed eminent.
During the off-season following the 2014 season, his mind completely encompassed in the undergraduate studies he needed to pursue his definitive goal of becoming a doctor, the 22-year-old began to morph into the creature. At the beginning of 2015, Collins moved in with Taylor Sheridan, the hulking physical specimen who anchored Montana State’s defensive line in 2014 and 2015. Sheridan is a known workout and nutrition guru and he wanted a lackey to accompany him to the gym.
MSU linebacker Fletcher Collins working with defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak/by Brooks Nuanez
It mattered not if the Bobcats had worked out as a team or practiced early in the day. Sheridan constantly looked for an edge and he wanted to share the passion for tearing muscles late night with his new roommate.
Collins expressed his frustrations over football to Sheridan, whether it was the star players like Na’a Moeakiola and Alex Singleton who rose above him on the depth chart or his inability to stay healthy for a full season. Collins told Sheridan he knew he had physical talent, but lacked the time to cultivate it. So Sheridan decided to take matters into his own hands.
Each night that Sheridan packed up his gym back to get in a second or sometimes third workout of the day, he would pack one extra item: Collins’ homework.
Collins has always been a good athlete — he was an all-league linebacker as a senior at Seattle Prep despite playing just two others seasons, once in eighth grade and one as a freshman in high school as well as a standout basketball player. Although he had three-plus years of college football training under his belt, the rigors of two-a-days with Sheridan took him a few months to get used to.
“Sometimes, it’s a grind but most of the time, I love it,” Collins said. “I love the feeling of being sore and knowing I’m getting better with every single rep I do.
“It finally clicked for me that I didn’t want to be a kid who just goes through college football. I wanted to be someone who made a difference and led the team.”
Once he cultivated something he now calls a passion, Collins started to wow his teammates with his extra effort.
MSU linebacker Fletcher Collins (59)/by Dean Hendrickson
“We call Fletch creature because he’s the type of dude who does more than anyone as far as workouts go,” Brekke said. “On our days off, he’s in the weight room pushing power sleds with six plates on each side. At night during fall camp after two-a-days, he goes into the student gym and does squats. He’s a freak.
“He’s a good athlete but through his hard work, he’s made himself a really good athlete. He’s a guy who shows up every day and puts in more than everyone else and that’s what has ultimately gotten him so far.”
Collins did not receive a single offer of any sort aside from a few Division II basketball offers from coaches who wanted the 6-foot-2 forward to transform himself into a guard. Standing in the corner shooting 3-pointers and playing defense on the perimeter didn’t sound like Collins’ cup of tea, so instead he turned his attention toward trying to walk on to a Division I football program.
Collins’ father, Arlan Collins, is a well-renown architect who founded CollinsWoerman, a firm that does business across the Northwest. Arlan has done business in Missoula and Bozeman for years so Fletcher knew about the football programs at MSU and Montana. He also knew he wanted to pursue pre-med, so Montana State’s reputation as a top STEM school in the Northwest proved intriguing.
Nick Holt, one of Fletcher’s best high school friends, was on his way to play for the Griz and Collins contemplated moving to Missoula. Arlan was in Bozeman on business and mentioned that his son might walk on at UM. His client said, ‘We can’t be having him become a Griz’ and promised he would set up a meeting for Fletcher with McEndoo, at the time Montana State’s offensive line coach and one of the Bobcats’ ace recruiters. After a successful meeting in the summer of 2012, McEndoo offered Fletcher a preferred walk-on spot with the Bobcats.
His first four years in Bozeman were filled with an endless string of trying examines and countless nights that turned into mornings while staying up late to study. Collins said during the rigors of his third and fourth years in his major, he would usually stay up until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. and wake up again at 6 a.m. on the weekdays. His academic pursuits far outweighed producing highlights on the football field. Once he started transforming his body, his ability to balance both emerged as well.
MSU linebacker Fletcher Collins (59) and running back Logan Jones (28) on kickoff duty/by Dean Henrickson
As a fourth-year junior, Collins burst onto the scene with a stellar performance during spring drills that gave him an opportunity to battle for a starting position. During fall camp in 2015, he battled with redshirt freshman Grant Collins (no relation) for MSU’s starting middle linebacker position. He ultimately did not attain it but did earn the starting job at Will linebacker.
“Once I started putting in all the work, I realized I could play with these guys,” Collins said. “I’m athletic enough, strong enough, smart enough, I can stick my nose in there and get some playing time.”
Four games into the season, Collins suffered a hand injury that ended his junior year. With football no longer in the forefront, Collins went back to the books. He knocked out the remaining credits for his undergraduate degree so he can spend his fifth and final season working on his minors and concentrating on football. At night, “instead of studying, I can watch film,” he said.
This past spring, first-year Montana State head coach Jeff Choate awarded Collins a full scholarship for his last semester. Before earning the honor, Collins had paid for his own school by taking out loans each semester.
“I figured I’m going to be in debt for med school so what’s the extra?” Collins Joked on Wednesday following MSU’s practice where the Bobcats prepared for their home opener against Bryant on Saturday afternoon. “”It’s feels amazing to be recognized by your coaches for your hard work. To have my last semester, not have to take out loans is so nice.”
Following Montana State’s season-opening loss at Idaho, Arlan’s alma mater, Fletcher received praise from Choate for his ability to get the Bobcat defense aligned as MSU gave up 20 points to the FBS Vandals. Choate said he has been impressed with Collins’ sense of urgency in pursuing a successful senior season, his last in blue and gold.
MSU linebacker Fletcher Collins (59)/by Brooks Nuanez
“From what I understand, he’s always been the type of guy who historically has had a really good fall camp but for whatever reason, has not continued to progress as the season went on, whether it was getting nicked up or someone else elevating their play in front of him,” Choate said. “Now, the stage is set for him and he recognizes this is his last opportunity to go out and play this great game and he doesn’t want to leave any stone unturned.”
Collins knows this is his final rodeo. He has no illusions of pursuing a professional career in anything other than medicine. Following his graduation in December, he said he will apply to medical schools across the country. His older brother, Elliott, is in the MD PhD program at Pitt and the East Coast holds an appeal to Fletcher, although he said he will go wherever he can get in. Before he becomes a doctor, Collins wants to focus on his final football season, his first without academic trials hanging over his head and his last to use the physicality cultivated during his time spent personifying the creature.
“I will remember everyone I played with, being around all the knowledge of football and Bozeman, the crowd, the stadium, everything,” Collins said. “I probably won’t remember games at all but the atmosphere, being a part of this, all my teachers I had good relationships with, all the personal stuff that really affected me has built me into this.”
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