AUSTIN, Texas — In college football, conventional thinking holds that making the transition as a true freshman only gets more difficult as that player gets closer to the ball.
So for Texas Longhorns defensive tackle Alfred Collins, who moved from defensive end to defensive tackle after a year of growth that saw him gain somewhere around 50 pounds, sliding inside posed an additional challenge beyond going against much more mature athletes.
Throughout preseason camp, Collins and fellow true freshman Vernon Broughton, who is still playing outside at defensive end, drew praise from head coach Tom Herman and their teammates, primarily for looking the part.