With his senior season just around the corner, Collin Stare didn’t even have an offer until March of this year.
Eventually, though, college institutions started to show interest in the defensive lineman from Mechanicsburg, and before he knew it, he had more than 13 scholarship opportunities going into fall practices.
On Wednesday night, the Wildcats standout reduced that list to just one, promising to play for the Central Michigan Chippewas the following season.
It felt like home as soon as I arrived. The culture was fantastic. The coaches were excellent. They are truthful. Stare stated, “They’re forward with me, with everything.”
On their defensive board, I was the top player. Therefore, feeling wanted, loved, and valued felt fantastic. And it simply caught my attention. It was a fantastic place. It was all fantastic.
Last season, Stare, who is 6′ 2″ and 245 pounds, recorded 63 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, and 7 sacks for 11-1 Mechanicsburg, earning a spot on the first team of the All-State squad.
Stare claims that although his adaptability was a strength in high school, CMU wants him to put on muscle so he can play in the middle of the field.
According to Stare, they want me to gain as much weight as they can in order to play three-tech. Outside of that, I probably won’t play anything else, but I might play defensive end.
It truly depends on what the team needs because they are losing a good number of D linemen this season.
He says he can’t enroll early because of Mechanicsburg’s schedule, so the bulking will likely start when he gets ready to travel to Mount Pleasant in May.
“I want to play as early as possible,” Stare stated. I will play for an additional four years following my redshirt year if they wish to redshirt me and save that year.
However, I want to try to play as soon as possible and try to have an immediate effect.
According to Stare, his parents helped him reach to this stage by keeping him upbeat prior to his recruitment blowing up. Additionally, he attributes his success to Mechanicsburg head coach Dave Heckard, his family friend and assistant Matt Ionnidis, a former Temple and NFL player who maintains a friendship with CMU defensive coordinator Sean Cronin.
Stare replied, “It’s definitely sinking in.” I’m thrilled. I had always dreamed about it. I put a lot of effort into this. I spent a lot of time away from my friends and family since I had to remain after practice, do the extra tasks, and work out more. Thus, it has undoubtedly paid off. And I’m happy that it’s here.
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