WPIAL
Montour 9th Grader Archie Collins IV Earns 1st D-1 Offer
The WPIAL Class of 2026 currently has 12 players that have given a commitment to Power 4 programs.
The Class of 2027 could produce even more as it’s loaded with talent and things don’t stop there.
While the overall numbers have dropped and don’t compare to where they were 10-20 years ago, Western Pennsylvania still churns out high level talent.
If you want to project ahead to the Class of 2029, here’s a player to remember- Montour cornerback Archie Collins IV. If that name sounds familiar, it should as he’s the son of Pitt secondary coach Archie Collins.
While preparing for his first season of varsity action this coming season, Collins received the exciting news that he’d earned his first D-1 offer, which came from Georgia State.
BLESSED TO RECEIVE AN OFFER FROM GEORGIA STATE!@gsufootball @GlennTFordJr1 @dellmcgee @SWiltfong_ @210th @evolve7v7@adamgorney @samspiegs @TomLoy247 @JohnGarcia_Jr @LemmingReport @Rivals @On3 @BrianDohn247 @BALLERSCHOICE1@AllenTrieu pic.twitter.com/j9FjmNEKYO
— Archie Collins (@archiecollins_4) June 19, 2025
Over the weekend, Collins participated in Pitt’s Prospect Camp on the South Side and afterwards, he spoke with PSN about his big news.
“Receiving this news, I really just felt both ecstatic and proud,” Collins tells PSN. “I say this because I know all the hard work that has been put in. I also feel blessed to be where I am and to be so fortunate to receive this.”
Despite his talent and athletic ability, I was curious if Collins was at all surprised to have received a D-1 offer before playing his first high school snap?
“In a way, I was like ‘Wow, I already have my first offer before even going into 9th grade. I will say that it does feel good to already get your first.”
“I can tell you that this won’t relax me and won’t stop me from trying to work to ultimately where I want to go,” said Collins. “Most definitely, I’m going to continue working. As a matter of fact, I have to work even harder now because people are going to be like ‘you didn’t deserve that’ and all that. Because of that, I have to work even harder now to show people why I got the offer before 9th grade and to prove people wrong.”
Aside from exceling on the football field, Collins (5’10”, 165-pounds) is also an accomplished and championship wrestler at Montour. So, it shouldn’t surprise you to learn his biggest strength on the football field.
4-0 first wrestling match of the year pinned all my matches in the first round and broke the school record of the fastest pin in 14 seconds #athlete #wrestling pic.twitter.com/V4rpqd9JO4
— Archie Collins (@archiecollins_4) December 15, 2024
“Most definitely my physicality,” said Collins. “Also, my ball skills, being able to locate the ball in the air and being able to make plays on the ball. But no doubt, my physicality at the line and my ability to tackle. I just love football because of the physicality of it and being able to get my hands on guys.”
Just hearing Collins describe his strengths immediately reminds you of how the Pitt coaches teach their defensive backs how to play. Collins realizes how fortunate he is to have one of the best defensive back coaches in the country as his father and he doesn’t take that for granted.
“I’m blessed to have someone like him to be my father. I know that he won’t give me the comforting answer and what I want to hear. He’s willing to give me the hurtful truth and make me use that as motivation to get better at my overall craft as a defensive back. My dad is willing to critique my wrongs in order to fix them so that I can turn them into rights.”
While he’ll continue to put in work this summer, Collins tells PSN that he’s looking forward to the upcoming season and to show everyone what he can do for the Montour Spartans.
“I can’t wait,” said Collins. “Although it’s going to be varsity, in the end, football is football. By attending so many of these camps at Pitt, I feel like I’ve been playing a version of varsity football. I love competition and I’m looking forward to it.”
