If you were still holding your breath that Nico Collins would make a last-second decision to opt back into the 2020 college football season, you may as well stop.
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On Tuesday, the former Michigan wide receiver was on the Adam Schefter Podcast and he talked about his decision to stay opted out of the upcoming Big Ten season.
“Everything was going smooth, just how I planned, until this virus outbreak,” Collins said. “The one thing that really impacted my decision was when we were supposed to play, our set date was Sept. 5 against Purdue, during that camp process, they canceled the season.
“That was heartbreaking for me because I wasn’t sure when the next time (we would play). They were saying in the spring, Thanksgiving, there were too many unknown questions to be answering. Nobody really had an answer. I sat down with my family. I just made a business decision.”
“Once they canceled that and said they weren’t sure when the next time we would have a season, they were saying toward the spring, it was kinda like, that’s training,” Collins said. “That’s the time where I get prepared for the draft around December, January, after the bowl game. They were trying to push toward the spring a little bit.
“I really just sat down with my family, I had a business decision. I really appreciate my family helping me out with that. That was one of the reasons. There were too many unknown questions to answer.”
“Once I signed and got ready the combine, that’s when they came out with the statement to come back, they were going to have a season end of October, play Minnesota on the 24th,” Collins explained. “It was kinda late. It was eight games. I just don’t want to get injured (or have) something bad happen.
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“It just didn’t feel normal to me. It felt like everything was forced, almost, pressured. I just made the right decision. I want to be out there playing with my teammates and everything. But I just had to make the best decision that was right for me.”
Collins said he did consider opting back in for the 2020 season but ultimately decided against it.
“It was an option,” Collins said. “I thought about it. Again, when I see guys opting back in, that’s when I asked my parents. We had a talk. I just felt like getting my mind right and prepared for the combine was the right decision for me.”
Nation, did Collins make the right decision by opting out?