David Crockett (Jonesborough, TN) junior Prince Kollie received his first scholarship offer on January 29, 2020, from the University of Virginia. Over a month (and a bunch more offers) later, the 6’2”, 195-pound athlete prospect remains “grateful” to the Cavaliers for being the first.

“It meant a lot to me and it still does,” Kollie wrote in a Twitter interview with TheSabre.com. “I was drawn to tears because this is something I’ve waited for forever, so I was ecstatic when it happened. They were the first ones that believed in me and took a chance on me and for that I am forever grateful.”

As of this writing, nine schools - Charlotte, Austin Peay, Georgia Tech, Memphis, Wake Forest, Marshall, Army, Kansas, and Indiana – have offered since UVA. Kollie has started making visits to the schools that have offered, taking in Wake Forest on March 5 before heading to Virginia on March 7. He has plans to trek to Memphis, Georgia Tech, Duke, and “a couple others” in the coming days and weeks. In terms of the schools that haven’t offered at this point, Kollie has visited Kentucky and Virginia Tech multiple times and has been to Ohio State and Tennessee.

Kollie is a versatile prospect who has played multiple positions for Crockett, including running back, safety and linebacker. Virginia is recruiting him as a linebacker.

“I am 100% okay with [playing linebacker],” Kollie wrote. “I’ll do whatever benefits the team and gets me on the field the fastest. Honestly, I would want to be a leader on any team I think that role chooses the player not the other way around.”

Kollie learned more about Virginia at a Junior Day event this past Saturday. He enjoyed his time in Charlottesville, saying he “will definitely” make a return trip.

“I can definitely see myself there,” Kollie wrote. “They have a great academic program that has been highly ranked in the country for a long time, and the football program won’t stop until they are at the top and I love that! I get along with all of the coaches really good. I got that welcomed feeling as soon as I got there.”

Virginia coaches let the Tennessee star know exactly what he could expect if he were to attend UVA.

“Things aren’t easy there,” Kollie wrote when asked what messages the Virginia coaches had for him on Saturday. “They do everything at a high level and working hard is expected of you and they felt as if that is the perfect place for me.”

It seems early in Kollie’s decision-making process. His recruitment has really picked up steam within the past several weeks. He wants to visit more schools in the spring and anticipates making some summer visits as well. Of a possible decision, Kollie wrote: “I haven’t thought about when I’m committing much so far.”

Asked if he had a favorite school or group of favorites, Kollie answered: “I’ll have to write out the different things I like about the different schools to really separate them, so I will get back to you on that one.”

David Crockett’s rising senior leader has an idea of what he wants in his future school.

“I’m looking for a great academic program that gives me the best chance to be the best man and take care of my family with a thriving football program with a good fanbase,” Kollie wrote.

More with Prince Kollie

Were you born and raised in Tennessee? Did you root for any particular schools growing up?

“Yes I did grow up in Tennessee,” Kollie answered. “I honestly don’t root for any teams. Me and my friends, we keep up with the players. In my younger days I was a fan of Oregon because of their many different jersey combinations and they had some really good players at the time, but now I just keep up with the players.”

What is your favorite position and/or the position you feel is your best fit as far as your future?

“My favorite position … that’s a tough question for me because I love all the positions and the different tasks those positions have,” Kollie wrote. “If I had to pick one, I would say safety, but really anywhere on the defensive side. It used to be wide receiver, but the defensive side of the ball has grown on me.”

“Honestly I figured safety would be the best for me or running back, but due to injuries on our team I’ve had to play inside linebacker and I liked it,” Kollie continued.

How was your junior season? What role did you play?

“My role this past year was to be a leader and an example of how Crockett should be represented,” Kollie wrote. “The season started out great but we ended up losing the last four games. All close games that came down to the last minute.”