Hailing from nearby DeLand, Fla., Buddy Collins enters his first season working with the Wildcats as a Graduate Assistant, after joining the program last January. In his first coaching position out of college, Buddy will work with the defense, placing an emphasis on the defensive line.

Collins played at Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kan., where he was a three-year letterwinner, playing for the HAAC Conference Championship as a junior. He made three NAIA National Playoff appearances, including a quarterfinal as a senior, during his playing days at MANU. He is a 2010 graduate with his Bachelors.

Collins graduated from DeLand High School in 2005 and collected 108 tackles as a junior, but missed his senior season with a knee injury. However, he showed enough on the field as a player to receive a football scholarship to play at the next level.