2020 Football Roster
Roster
Collins, Elijah
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Jersey Number 24
Elijah Collins
- Position:
- RB
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 220
- Class:
- Redshirt Sophomore
- Hometown:
- Detroit, Mich.
- High School:
- University of Detroit Jesuit
Bio
CAREER NOTES: Four-year letterwinner played in 41 career games for the Spartans (2018-22) . . . started 12 games, all during the 2019 season . . . rushed for 1,506 yards on 353 carries in his Spartan career, becoming 46th Spartan player with 1,000 career rushing yards . . . also had 11 rushing TDs . . . became 28th player in MSU history with 300 rushing attempts, reaching mark in Wisconsin game (10/15/22) . . . had four 100-yard rushing outings (three in 2019, one in 2022) . . . also had 36 career receptions for 260 yards and one TD . . . collected 1,766 all-purpose yards (43.1 ypg) . . . graduated from Michigan State in December 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in media and information.
2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT SENIOR): Named one of four team captains for the 2022 season . . . ranked tied for the team lead with a career-high six rushing touchdowns, which also ranked tied for 11th in the Big Ten . . . ranked second on the team in rushing yards (318; 4.5 avg.; 26.5 ypg) and carries (70) . . . also had 14 receptions for 93 yards . . . was fifth on the team with 411 all-purpose yards (318 rushing, 93 receiving) . . . played a total of 253 snaps on offense . . . also played on four special teams units for a total of 153 plays on special teams, fourth most on the team . . . led MSU with 33 rushing yards on 10 carries in regular-season finale at Penn State . . . rushed for a season-high 107 yards on 19 carries with career-high tying two TDs in Indiana game . . . the 107 rushing yards marked his first 100-yard rushing game since Nov. 23, 2019, at Rutgers (109 yards), while two TDs matched previous career-high of two vs. Illinois on Nov. 9, 2019 . . . added career highs of four receptions for 43 yards, boosted by a career-long 22-yard reception, finishing with 150 all-purpose yards against the Hoosiers . . . despite not having an official rushing attempt, after a 5-yard rush was called back due to a penalty, added two catches for 14 yards in Rutgers game . . . posted four carries for 10 yards and added three receptions for 20 yards at Illinois . . . tallied 22 yards on seven carries at Michigan, adding two catches for 8 yards . . . rushed for 43 yards on 14 carries and one TD in Wisconsin game, scoring a 1-yard TD in third quarter to knot game up at 14-14 in the eventual double-overtime win . . . tallied two carries for 9 yards vs. Ohio State . . . scored a rushing TD for the third time in the last four games with an 8-yard scoring scamper in the first quarter at Maryland, finishing with a team-high 36 yards on five carries . . . snared one catch for 2 yards in Minnesota game . . . had one carry for a 1-yard TD plunge at Washington, registering second straight game with a TD, for first back-to-back games with a TD since a streak of three games in a row as a redshirt freshman in 2019 . . . rushed eight times for 57 yards and scored on a 1-yard TD plunge in the third quarter of the Akron game, including all six plays of the drive, picking up two first downs and a TD, which came a play after being marked out-of-bounds and just short of goal line on dive for the pylon, with a long of 17 yards.
2021 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Played in eight of the 13 games, missing five games (Indiana, Rutgers, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, Miami) with an injury, before returning to action in Michigan game on Oct. 30 . . . tallied 18 carries for 102 yards (5.7 ypc), while adding three catches for 34 yards, scoring first career receiving TD in Youngstown State game . . . played 45 snaps on offense and 66 on special teams . . . had six carries for 15 yards in playing a season-high 18 snaps on offense in victory over No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl . . . had five rushing attempts for 19 yards in Penn State game, adding one catch for 11 yards . . . posted three carries for 29 yards and added one catch for 3 yards at Ohio State . . . had one rush for 7 yards in Maryland game . . . snared first career TD reception on a career-long 20-yard catch and run to end zone in Youngstown State game, adding three carries for 32 yards.
2020 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE): Had 41 carries for 90 yards (2.2 ypc), along with four receptions for 34 yards, in seven games . . . posted season-high totals and single rush in back-to-back games (Ohio State and Northwestern) . . . had one carry and one reception at Penn State . . . tallied eight carries for season-high 37 yards in Ohio State game, with a season-long 14-yard run . . . had then-season-high output with 13 carries for 34 yards in Northwestern game, with a then-season-long 13-yard scamper . . . rushed three times for 5 yards and had career-long 17-yard reception in Indiana game . . . had six carries for 14 yards at Iowa, adding one catch for 6 yards . . . had one carry at Michigan . . . rushed for 3 yards on nine carries and also had 3-yard reception vs. Rutgers in season opener.
2019 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Second-year player had a breakthrough season, leading the team and ranking fourth in the Big Ten with 988 rushing yards (76.0 ypg) . . . also ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 222 carries . . . led MSU with five rushing touchdowns . . . earned third-team All-Big Ten (media, Pro Football Focus) and honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches) accolades . . . ranked third among all FBS freshman RBs in carries (222) and fifth in rushing (76.0 ypg) . . . was just 12 yards shy of becoming MSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford in 2014 . . . his team-leading 988 rushing yards ranked second most by a Spartan freshman in school history (record: Sedrick Irvin with 1,067 yards in 1996) . . . his 222 carries were the most by a Spartan RB since Langford in 2014 and also ranked second most by a Spartan freshman (Irvin with 237 in 1996) . . . recorded three 100-yard rushing games (career-high 192 vs. Western Michigan, 170 vs. Illinois, 108 vs. Rutgers), the first Spartan freshman to so since Javon Ringer in 2005 . . . team-leading 51 of 222 rushes (.230) resulted in a first down or touchdown (47 first downs/5 TD - one both), while owning not only MSU’s longest rush (58 yards vs. Western Michigan), but also three of MSU’s five longest rushes and 11 of MSU’s 15 rushes of 20+ yards (58, 40, 31, 30, 29, 27, 26, 24, 23, 22, 21) . . . also had 15 receptions for 99 yards . . . rushed 21 times for 96 yards, including a game-long 31-yard run, against Wake Forest in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl . . . had 15 carries for 47 yards to go with two catches for 23 yards in Maryland game . . . became the first Spartan since Jeremy Langford in 2014 to record at least 30 carries in a single game (Langford: 35 vs. Michigan in 2014) with a career-high 31 rushing attempts for 109 yards at Rutgers, his third 100-yard outing of the season . . . had 12 carries for 27 yards at Michigan, adding two receptions for 19 yards . . . recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game with 170 yards on a career-high 28 carries (6.1 avg.) in Illinois game, topping previous career high in carries of 19 vs. Arizona State . . . scored two TDs for the first time in his career (1 yard in the first quarter; 6 yards in the second quarter) against the Fighting Illini . . . 11 carries were for either first down or touchdown (nine for first down, two for TD) . . . carried the ball 17 times for 53 yards and added three catches for 11 yards in Penn State game . . . had eight carries for 16 yards at Wisconsin . . . posted 12 rushes for 63 yards, with a long of 23 yards, against Ohio State, adding one catch . . . had 17 carries for 56 yards against Indiana, including a 4-yard TD rush for MSU’s first score of the day, and also had one catch for season-long 16 yards . . . rushed 17 times for 76 yards at Northwestern, including a 5-yard scoring scamper for MSU’s first TD of the game, adding one catch for a then-season-long 9 yards . . . started Arizona State game and registered 19 carries for 72 yards with first TD as a Spartan, a 9-yard TD in fourth quarter, adding one catch for 2 yards . . . named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week after posting career-high 192 yards on just 17 carries (11.3 ypc) against Western Michigan, highlighted by 58-yard scamper on MSU’s first possession of second half that set up Spartan TD and 34-7 lead . . . added one catch for 7 yards, for first catch of career . . . the 192 rushing yards were the most by a freshman starting running back in school history and the second-most overall by a Spartan freshman running back in a single game (Javon Ringer had 194 yards at Illinois in 2005) . . . recorded eight carries for 17 yards with a long of 9 yards in season opener vs. Tulsa.
2018 SEASON: True freshman played in three games (Maryland, Nebraska, Rutgers) to preserve his redshirt season . . . played a total of six snaps on offense and also played on special teams . . . had two carries for 8 yards against Rutgers.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated the top running back prospect in the state of Michigan by Rivals.com, 247Sports and The Detroit News . . . ranked one of the top running backs in the nation by 247Sports (No. 25) . . . named to The Detroit News All-State Division 1-2 Team . . . selected to MLive Detroit Dream Team . . . first-team all-state selection by The Associated Press and Detroit Free Press (Division 2) . . . named to Detroit Free Press All-Detroit Team . . . listed one of the top overall players in the state of Michigan by 247Sports (No. 10), The Detroit News (No. 11), MLive (No. 13), Rivals.com (No. 24) and ESPN.com (No. 26) . . . ran for 1,076 yards and nine touchdowns on 134 carries (119.6 yards per game; 8.0 yards per carry) for Coach Oscar Olejniczak . . . also had 10 catches for 102 yards and one TD . . . recorded 73 tackles and two interceptions, including one for a score, on defense . . . rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns in win over St. Joseph on Sept. 29 . . . had 113 rushing yards on 16 carries (7.1 avg.), including a 66-yard touchdown run vs. Divine Child on Sept. 22 . . . posted impressive all-around performance against Detroit Catholic Central on Sept. 9, rushing for 151 yards and a TD on 19 carries, while recording 15 tackles and a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown on defense . . . as a junior, had a total of 19 touchdowns and scored four different ways (rushing, receiving, kick return, interception return) . . . rushed for 721 yards and 14 TDs, had 19 catches for 306 yards, and averaged more than 35 yards per kick return while returning three for touchdowns . . . named to Detroit Free Press All-Detroit Team and Detroit News All-Metro Team his junior year and was also an honorable mention all-state pick . . . scored six touchdowns in one game against Holy Trinity in 2016 (three rushing, 75-yard kick return, 44-yard reception, interception return) . . . also lettered in basketball and was a member of the 2016 state championship team . . . was high school teammates on the state championship basketball team with former MSU All-American point guard Cassius Winston . . . son of Gary and Elizabeth Collins . . . born Aug. 1, 2000 . . . media and information major graduated in December 2022.
2022 SEASON (REDSHIRT SENIOR): Named one of four team captains for the 2022 season . . . ranked tied for the team lead with a career-high six rushing touchdowns, which also ranked tied for 11th in the Big Ten . . . ranked second on the team in rushing yards (318; 4.5 avg.; 26.5 ypg) and carries (70) . . . also had 14 receptions for 93 yards . . . was fifth on the team with 411 all-purpose yards (318 rushing, 93 receiving) . . . played a total of 253 snaps on offense . . . also played on four special teams units for a total of 153 plays on special teams, fourth most on the team . . . led MSU with 33 rushing yards on 10 carries in regular-season finale at Penn State . . . rushed for a season-high 107 yards on 19 carries with career-high tying two TDs in Indiana game . . . the 107 rushing yards marked his first 100-yard rushing game since Nov. 23, 2019, at Rutgers (109 yards), while two TDs matched previous career-high of two vs. Illinois on Nov. 9, 2019 . . . added career highs of four receptions for 43 yards, boosted by a career-long 22-yard reception, finishing with 150 all-purpose yards against the Hoosiers . . . despite not having an official rushing attempt, after a 5-yard rush was called back due to a penalty, added two catches for 14 yards in Rutgers game . . . posted four carries for 10 yards and added three receptions for 20 yards at Illinois . . . tallied 22 yards on seven carries at Michigan, adding two catches for 8 yards . . . rushed for 43 yards on 14 carries and one TD in Wisconsin game, scoring a 1-yard TD in third quarter to knot game up at 14-14 in the eventual double-overtime win . . . tallied two carries for 9 yards vs. Ohio State . . . scored a rushing TD for the third time in the last four games with an 8-yard scoring scamper in the first quarter at Maryland, finishing with a team-high 36 yards on five carries . . . snared one catch for 2 yards in Minnesota game . . . had one carry for a 1-yard TD plunge at Washington, registering second straight game with a TD, for first back-to-back games with a TD since a streak of three games in a row as a redshirt freshman in 2019 . . . rushed eight times for 57 yards and scored on a 1-yard TD plunge in the third quarter of the Akron game, including all six plays of the drive, picking up two first downs and a TD, which came a play after being marked out-of-bounds and just short of goal line on dive for the pylon, with a long of 17 yards.
2021 SEASON (REDSHIRT JUNIOR): Played in eight of the 13 games, missing five games (Indiana, Rutgers, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, Miami) with an injury, before returning to action in Michigan game on Oct. 30 . . . tallied 18 carries for 102 yards (5.7 ypc), while adding three catches for 34 yards, scoring first career receiving TD in Youngstown State game . . . played 45 snaps on offense and 66 on special teams . . . had six carries for 15 yards in playing a season-high 18 snaps on offense in victory over No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl . . . had five rushing attempts for 19 yards in Penn State game, adding one catch for 11 yards . . . posted three carries for 29 yards and added one catch for 3 yards at Ohio State . . . had one rush for 7 yards in Maryland game . . . snared first career TD reception on a career-long 20-yard catch and run to end zone in Youngstown State game, adding three carries for 32 yards.
2020 SEASON (REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE): Had 41 carries for 90 yards (2.2 ypc), along with four receptions for 34 yards, in seven games . . . posted season-high totals and single rush in back-to-back games (Ohio State and Northwestern) . . . had one carry and one reception at Penn State . . . tallied eight carries for season-high 37 yards in Ohio State game, with a season-long 14-yard run . . . had then-season-high output with 13 carries for 34 yards in Northwestern game, with a then-season-long 13-yard scamper . . . rushed three times for 5 yards and had career-long 17-yard reception in Indiana game . . . had six carries for 14 yards at Iowa, adding one catch for 6 yards . . . had one carry at Michigan . . . rushed for 3 yards on nine carries and also had 3-yard reception vs. Rutgers in season opener.
2019 SEASON (REDSHIRT FRESHMAN): Second-year player had a breakthrough season, leading the team and ranking fourth in the Big Ten with 988 rushing yards (76.0 ypg) . . . also ranked fourth in the Big Ten with 222 carries . . . led MSU with five rushing touchdowns . . . earned third-team All-Big Ten (media, Pro Football Focus) and honorable mention All-Big Ten (coaches) accolades . . . ranked third among all FBS freshman RBs in carries (222) and fifth in rushing (76.0 ypg) . . . was just 12 yards shy of becoming MSU’s first 1,000-yard rusher since Jeremy Langford in 2014 . . . his team-leading 988 rushing yards ranked second most by a Spartan freshman in school history (record: Sedrick Irvin with 1,067 yards in 1996) . . . his 222 carries were the most by a Spartan RB since Langford in 2014 and also ranked second most by a Spartan freshman (Irvin with 237 in 1996) . . . recorded three 100-yard rushing games (career-high 192 vs. Western Michigan, 170 vs. Illinois, 108 vs. Rutgers), the first Spartan freshman to so since Javon Ringer in 2005 . . . team-leading 51 of 222 rushes (.230) resulted in a first down or touchdown (47 first downs/5 TD - one both), while owning not only MSU’s longest rush (58 yards vs. Western Michigan), but also three of MSU’s five longest rushes and 11 of MSU’s 15 rushes of 20+ yards (58, 40, 31, 30, 29, 27, 26, 24, 23, 22, 21) . . . also had 15 receptions for 99 yards . . . rushed 21 times for 96 yards, including a game-long 31-yard run, against Wake Forest in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl . . . had 15 carries for 47 yards to go with two catches for 23 yards in Maryland game . . . became the first Spartan since Jeremy Langford in 2014 to record at least 30 carries in a single game (Langford: 35 vs. Michigan in 2014) with a career-high 31 rushing attempts for 109 yards at Rutgers, his third 100-yard outing of the season . . . had 12 carries for 27 yards at Michigan, adding two receptions for 19 yards . . . recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game with 170 yards on a career-high 28 carries (6.1 avg.) in Illinois game, topping previous career high in carries of 19 vs. Arizona State . . . scored two TDs for the first time in his career (1 yard in the first quarter; 6 yards in the second quarter) against the Fighting Illini . . . 11 carries were for either first down or touchdown (nine for first down, two for TD) . . . carried the ball 17 times for 53 yards and added three catches for 11 yards in Penn State game . . . had eight carries for 16 yards at Wisconsin . . . posted 12 rushes for 63 yards, with a long of 23 yards, against Ohio State, adding one catch . . . had 17 carries for 56 yards against Indiana, including a 4-yard TD rush for MSU’s first score of the day, and also had one catch for season-long 16 yards . . . rushed 17 times for 76 yards at Northwestern, including a 5-yard scoring scamper for MSU’s first TD of the game, adding one catch for a then-season-long 9 yards . . . started Arizona State game and registered 19 carries for 72 yards with first TD as a Spartan, a 9-yard TD in fourth quarter, adding one catch for 2 yards . . . named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week after posting career-high 192 yards on just 17 carries (11.3 ypc) against Western Michigan, highlighted by 58-yard scamper on MSU’s first possession of second half that set up Spartan TD and 34-7 lead . . . added one catch for 7 yards, for first catch of career . . . the 192 rushing yards were the most by a freshman starting running back in school history and the second-most overall by a Spartan freshman running back in a single game (Javon Ringer had 194 yards at Illinois in 2005) . . . recorded eight carries for 17 yards with a long of 9 yards in season opener vs. Tulsa.
2018 SEASON: True freshman played in three games (Maryland, Nebraska, Rutgers) to preserve his redshirt season . . . played a total of six snaps on offense and also played on special teams . . . had two carries for 8 yards against Rutgers.
HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Rated the top running back prospect in the state of Michigan by Rivals.com, 247Sports and The Detroit News . . . ranked one of the top running backs in the nation by 247Sports (No. 25) . . . named to The Detroit News All-State Division 1-2 Team . . . selected to MLive Detroit Dream Team . . . first-team all-state selection by The Associated Press and Detroit Free Press (Division 2) . . . named to Detroit Free Press All-Detroit Team . . . listed one of the top overall players in the state of Michigan by 247Sports (No. 10), The Detroit News (No. 11), MLive (No. 13), Rivals.com (No. 24) and ESPN.com (No. 26) . . . ran for 1,076 yards and nine touchdowns on 134 carries (119.6 yards per game; 8.0 yards per carry) for Coach Oscar Olejniczak . . . also had 10 catches for 102 yards and one TD . . . recorded 73 tackles and two interceptions, including one for a score, on defense . . . rushed for 210 yards and two touchdowns in win over St. Joseph on Sept. 29 . . . had 113 rushing yards on 16 carries (7.1 avg.), including a 66-yard touchdown run vs. Divine Child on Sept. 22 . . . posted impressive all-around performance against Detroit Catholic Central on Sept. 9, rushing for 151 yards and a TD on 19 carries, while recording 15 tackles and a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown on defense . . . as a junior, had a total of 19 touchdowns and scored four different ways (rushing, receiving, kick return, interception return) . . . rushed for 721 yards and 14 TDs, had 19 catches for 306 yards, and averaged more than 35 yards per kick return while returning three for touchdowns . . . named to Detroit Free Press All-Detroit Team and Detroit News All-Metro Team his junior year and was also an honorable mention all-state pick . . . scored six touchdowns in one game against Holy Trinity in 2016 (three rushing, 75-yard kick return, 44-yard reception, interception return) . . . also lettered in basketball and was a member of the 2016 state championship team . . . was high school teammates on the state championship basketball team with former MSU All-American point guard Cassius Winston . . . son of Gary and Elizabeth Collins . . . born Aug. 1, 2000 . . . media and information major graduated in December 2022.
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