Stanford adds 2022 3-star DB Collin Wright on National Signing Day
On Wednesday’s National Signing Day, Stanford football officially added 3-star defensive back Collin Wright to their 2022 class. Wright signed at 5:15 AM PT, hailing from Manvel High School in Manvel, Texas. Wright announced the day before that he was going to be signing with Stanford after deciding to not sign during the early December period. Wright verbally committed to Stanford back in early July of 2021.
When watching Wright’s Hudl page, the first thing that stands out is his speed. Listed at 6’0”, 185 pounds, it’s clear that Wright has the speed to be effective at the P5 level. He’s always one of the fastest players on the field, making it tough for wide receivers to get by him. Wright’s speed is why he has been tabbed to return punts. On 14 punt returns in his junior year, he averaged 7.7 yards per return, his longest being 22 yards.
In addition to having great speed, Wright also has a great motor. He plays hard every down, going all out in pursuit. He does a great job of chasing guys down from the opposite end of the field.
When it comes to his IQ, it is clear that Wright has a really good feel for the game. He reads offenses well and does a good job of deciphering whether it’ll be a run or a pass. In the secondary, he’s got a good knack for breaking up passes as well as getting interceptions. He has good hands and has the ability to return interceptions for a touchdown.
Wright also has good form when he tackles. He hits hard and has no fear of contact. He knows how to put the hit on running backs and be effective in red zone situations.
One other bonus that Wright has going for him is he’s got experience playing both the cornerback and safety positions. His game is suited well for any position in the secondary, so he brings a lot of versatility in that vein. Stanford does have him listed as a safety, so it does look like that’s where he’ll be playing. At least initially. But if Stanford feels like he’ll be better suited as a cornerback down the line, that has a possibility of working out as well.
“Yeah, we’ve been recruiting Collin for a while,” Stanford head coach David Shaw said in Wednesday’s National Signing Day press conference. “He didn’t sign in that first period like most of these other guys. So, lot of conversations of course between that date and today. Never changed our evaluation of him. This guy has got some speed, he’s got some versatility, good tackling in space, like I said, all of our safeties need to be able to do, and also be able to cover because we got a lot of versatile offenses in this conference. Different kinds of spread offenses, tight ends and slot receivers that you have to cover. So, I know a guy that we look at as a safety, but we always transition those guys to be able to play nickel. The positions aren’t that different. Sometimes we’ll play in man or just play in zone or play in that flat area, that hook area. Being able to move in space, make those tackles in space, and then be able to cover people.”
When looking at Collin Wright, there’s a lot to like about him. He’s fast, he’s got a great feel for the game, and he plays with a lot of energy and fire. He’s got a chance to be an effective player in David Shaw’s secondary due to his experience playing both corner and safety. On top of that, there’s also the potential for him to be a weapon on special teams as a punt returner. You can’t teach his speed and that’s something that should serve him very well regardless of how he’s used.
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