Collin Rock
	Height	6-0
	Weight	187
	40-yard Dash	4.54
	Bench Press	320
	Squat	395
	Vertical Leap	34 inches

Second-team All-District 17-6A
First-team All-Houston (Vype magazine)
247sports: **
Rivals: **
Scout: **
247sports: No. 172 athlete in country
247sports: No. 370 player in Texas

Last Year Statistics

154 pass attempts
85 completions
55 percent completion rate
1,500 passing yards
Long pass: 75 yards
18 passing touchdowns
4 interceptions
85 carries
515 rushing yards
6.06 yards per carry
Long run: 76 yards
4 rushing touchdowns

Strengths as a Player

Collin Rock is the living embodiment of the notion of identifying and recruiting a player, and then figuring out where to play him. A smart, versatile athlete, Rock has played quarterback, receiver and safety in high school; the SMU coaches plan to start him out at safety. He doesn’t always look like he’s running exceptionally fast, but he has been clocked in the mid-4.5s and has great feet with the shifty ability to make people miss. He also, however, actually enjoys putting his shoulder down and running through someone, delivering a hit more than absorbing one — an aggressiveness that will bode well when he makes the move to safety at the college level. His time spent on offense will be a significant asset for Rock, whose football IQ and understanding of offenses will help him understand the opposing teams across the line of scrimmage.

Interviews

Cypress Ranch head coach Gene Johnson on Collin Rock:

As our quarterback, Collin obviously is a huge part of our offense. He’s a big part of our run game, and he can do a lot of things in our dropback passing game, too. Our offense is kind of a blend, and it speaks a lot of Collin that we asked him to do a lot and he did it, and did it a really high level.

We worked him at safety for a few days in fall camp, and we were really tempted to play him both ways, but at the end of the day, we were scared of overloading him or getting him hurt.

He’ll do fine. I asked our defensive coordinator when we worked him at safety what he looked like there, and the answer was “he’s a Div. I safety.” He won’t struggle, whether it’s at wide receiver or quarterback or safety. Collin is just a football player, and a really good one. That’s what makes him a selfless leader.

Collin is a very good student. I think a lot of it comes naturally to him — he probably doesn’t even have to work hard at some things in the classroom. He’s just a smart guy who knows how to study, knows how to learn.

He’s a good fit for what Coach Morris is trying to do at SMU, but I think SMU is a great fit for him, too. No. 1 — academically, it’s a great school. No. 2, it’s in the state of Texas, and I think is important when the fit’s right to stay in Texas to stay near home. No. 3, there’s a lot of positive wind blowing through the sails at SMU. I know they had kind of a rough year this year, but it’s not going to be long before they’re headed in the right direction, and the results of their work are going to start to show up in wins.

Collin Rock on why he chose SMU:

For me, it was, no doubt, the coaching staff, how they made me feel at home.

There’s a real family aspect to it. I think the way the coaches make you feel, how everyone is part of the team, the way the coaches carry themselves, the way they run the team — I love what Coach (Chad) Morris has gotten going in a short time.

I first connected with the coaches when I met Coach (Joe) Craddock on Twitter before Junior Day. He said to come up, and that’s when I got to meet him and the other coaches. I talked the most that day Coach (Buddy) Wyatt.

Those first conversations were just about getting to know each other, and I expressed how interested I was in SMU, and they said they wanted me to be a part of the team even though they didn’t really know which side of the ball they wanted to play me on. Whatever they need me to play, I can play it, but if I was to choose, I told them safety is probably the best fit … and that’s where they plan to start me out.

The Cox School of Business was part of (the decision), too. During my junior year, I wasn’t 100 percent sure of what I wanted to major in in college, but once I learned about Cox, that caught my attention.

Coach (Van) Malone is going to be my coach — he coaches the safeties and he’s the defensive coordinator. I really like his experience — he had a great college career, and he played in the NFL, too. I just like his attitude.

I went to Junior Day in the spring and just fell in love with the campus and the coaching staff. I understand what an academic opportunity it is to go to SMU.