Notre Dame Receiver Beaux Collins Discusses His Time at Clemson with Dabo Swinney
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Beaux Collins may have traded Clemson orange for Notre Dame blue and gold, but his journey through college football has been shaped by lessons learned at Clemson. Now a standout wide receiver for the Irish, Collins opened up recently on The Irish Scoop, a podcast hosted by teammate Jordan Clark, about why he initially chose Clemson and what he took away from his time there.
“What drew me to Clemson was really just the family environment that they had there,” Collins said. “I hadn’t really seen anything like it. Coach [Dabo] Swinney and the coaches there do a good job of making everybody feel like they’re actually at home. Clemson’s a small, little town out there, but there’s nothing like it.”
Collins joined Clemson as a highly touted four-star recruit on Jan. 3, 2021, signing during the early period on Dec. 16, 2020. In three seasons, he logged 91 receptions for 1,290 yards and 11 touchdowns over 32 games (27 starts).
The Los Angeles, CA native and former St. John Bosco standout has established himself as a key weapon in the Irish’s offense. He leads the team in receptions (29) and receiving yards (374) and is tied with Kris Mitchell in receiving touchdowns (2), a testament to the skills he refined at Clemson and his continued growth in South Bend.
One of Collins’ most powerful takeaways from Clemson came directly from head coach Dabo Swinney.
“I learned a whole lot—accountability was the main thing,” Collins said when asked what he learned from the two-time national championship-winning coach. “You can’t change your ways. You can't grow or anything unless you look at the man in the mirror first. That was pretty much the main thing I learned from him outside of all the football stuff, schematics, and all that. But he does a good job of developing dudes into finding your true self.”
Collins, who was selected twice to the All-ACC Academic Team, participated in P.A.W. Journey, a leadership initiative that holistically develops Clemson Football scholar-athletes through personal growth, life skills, and professional development, and obtained a Business Management Degree in three years, gave an example of how Swinney holds players accountable.
"[If] you mess up outside of football or something like that. He'll sit you down and ask you, 'How do you think this will help you?' Just simple questions like that -- but it makes you think and reflect on life in general. I appreciate him for that and just staying true to who he is."
Since taking over as head coach in 2008, Swinney has built a program around high school recruiting, long-term player development, and culture. However, the transfer portal has transformed college football in recent years, allowing players to move freely from school to school. But Swinney has opted for a different strategy. His reluctance to rely heavily on the transfer portal has sparked discussions throughout the sport, with some praising his loyalty to recruiting and player development, while others question whether this approach is sustainable in today’s college football environment.
"Even with all the transfer portal jokes and all that, he's a dude that knows what he wants," said Collins, who entered the transfer portal on Dec. 4, 2023. "He knows what he's going to do, and he doesn't change that. He's a man of faith, so you can't trade that for nothing."