Better late: Jackson, Collins excelled at U.Va. as seniors

CHARLOTTESVILLE Rashawn Jackson spent his first three seasons at Virginia believing he could be a bigger part of the offense.

Nate Collins spent that time joking around.

Both have found persistence pays off, as they have enjoyed breakout senior seasons that almost certainly will springboard them into the NFL.

Jackson arrived in the mold of Jason Snelling, a powerful runner who could run over defenders. After a redshirt season, he was briefly moved to linebacker, then back to the fullback position. By the end of his junior season, he was playing regularly but had only 36 carries for 134 yards in his career.

"Obviously, I didn't see the field as soon as I wanted to in my career," he said. "I needed to be able to keep my faith and be persistent in practice, having faith to know that things would eventually come to me."

Things started to change this season, but not until October, when starting running back Mikell Simpson was sidelined by an injury. Jackson finished that game against Indiana with 73 yards, came back the next week and tallied against Maryland, and his college career was off and running.

Fullbacks are a rare breed in college football, which is now dominated by speed and the spread offense. But Jackson continues to thrive in the old-school role, which coach Al Groh uses and NFL teams always seek.

"I got the opportunity to do what I love to do, and be involved in the game plan more," he said. "Fortunately this season, coach Groh trusted me enough to put me in and give me chances."

For Collins, it was the reverse, a process of learning to trust the coach and his methods.

The defensive lineman, who came from a small school in New York, faced a steep learning curve when he arrived, but his raw talent put him on the field his first year.

But on a unit with Chris Long in his sophomore season, and Clint Sintim as a junior, there was no need for Collins to assert leadership.

Asked about his early career, Collins replied in the second person, referring to himself."It's hard when you're a freshman, and you might not value practice as much as you do now," he said. "The way you practice is the way you play, and if you practice hard, that's how you'll play in the game."

Then last spring, as Sintim left, Collins began to realize he'd be the one who had to fill the leadership vacuum.

He decided to apply himself and became a team captain for this year. That, in turn, boosted his standing with Groh, as the two interacted more regularly. Nick Jenkins, a defensive lineman who lives down the street from Collins, noticed the difference.

"Nate's grown up a lot," Collins said. "This summer, you could really tell -- we had a lot of leaders that left, and he realized it was a time to step up and take that role.

"Everybody looks up to him. He's like the big brother of the d-line, I think you could say."

That new approach to football also has been validated in the results, as Collins' 66 tackles and five sacks lead all linemen.

He's getting attention from NFL scouts, which he credits to Groh staying on him and refusing to let him coast on talent.

"He lets you know that if you don't do it right, somebody else out there is going to do it better than you," he said. "If you're trying to make it to the next level, you need a coach that can do that."

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546