Penn State cornerback Audavion Collins went from one workout to the next when he was enrolled at Newton High School in Georgia. Every day the former 3-star recruit would leave right after practice to go to another workout with his high school coach, his third of the day. Talk about a jam-packed schedule for a student.

That work ethic has been instilled in Collins from the jump, thanks to his dad, who taught him from a young age that no matter what he does, he must work hard at it. 

Collins is seeing that effort pay off this season, as he and teammate Daryus Dixson lead a Nittany Lions secondary that ranks fourth nationally in passing defense (141.4 yards per game). They will be tested again Saturday, when the Nittany Lions visit Washington and its fourth-ranked Big Ten passing offense.

“AC had to go up the rough side of the mountain to become a great football player,” Penn State coach Matt Campbell said. “Nothing has been handed to Collins. He's demanded it every step of the way, and I felt that way in spring ball. I felt that way at the end of fall camp. I felt that way every day of practice. That guy loves football and demands to be his best.”

Collins, a redshirt senior who began his career at Mississippi State, went from rotational player last year to one of the better cornerbacks nationally this season. His nine pass breakups are tied for sixth in the country, and his 6.4 yards-per-reception allowed are the second-lowest nationally among cornerbacks with at least 175 coverage snaps.

He isn’t just tough to beat downfield, though. It’s difficult to pierce his coverage in general. Collins has been targeted just 20 times in 176 coverage snaps this season, per Pro Football Focus. He’s surrendered just five completions in those 20 targets, a 25-percent rate that is the lowest allowed among FBS cornerbacks with at least 175 coverage snaps.

And he’s done so by pairing physicality with lightning speed. With his 305-pound bench press and top speed of 23.1 mph, it’s no wonder Collins made Bruce Feldman’s college football "Freaks List" (92nd) before the season. 

“From winter conditioning to spring ball, if you go out to practice every day, the same guy you see on Saturdays, that is the guy that you see on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday,” Campbell said. “And to me, that's why he's playing at that rate. 

“He embodies what it looks like to be great, to look like a pro at this point in his career, and I'm really proud of AC. He's a guy that loves football. He demands the best of himself. He's prepared for these moments, and I think that's why you see him playing as well as he is right now.”

Penn State’s fastest player?

Collins hasn’t run a 40-yard dash since the spring of 2025. That makes the 4.28 mark he ran that year even more eye-catching, since he knows for a fact he’s faster now.

Maybe even more impressive, the first 40-yard dash he ran, which came sometime after he transferred to Penn State from Mississippi State, was a 4.44. That number “caught me off guard,” he said. 

Speed has been the flashy part of Collins' game. It’s much of what the fans are talking about but also is a fun topic in the locker room at times. Collins and receiver Brett Eskildsen, who challenges him as the team’s fastest player, haven’t lined up to run a 40-yard dash together, but they’ve “competed” in races before. 

“It depended on the day, but I think my top speed was faster in the summer,” said Eskildsen, who also reached 23.1 mph in the offseason.

An ‘extreme competitor’

Collins’ work ethic stands out most to those around him. Eskildsen said he learned “very quickly” when he transferred to Penn State that the cornerback was “an extreme competitor.”

Eskildsen added that during winter competitions and in the weight room, he would find Collins always trying to do more reps or put on more weight. “Or just beat you in whatever race we were doing,” he said. 

The same goes for Collins and injured receiver Koby Howard. “We always try to push each other no matter what we're doing,” Collins said.

The soft-spoken, even shy Collins doesn’t seem to be the same player in the locker room or on the field. When he stays after practice, often to do one-on-ones with Howard, Collins said that “of course” there’s trash talk. Collins is more vocal than just taunting, though.

“Even when I beat him, I try to give him tips on what he can work on,” Collins said. “If he beats me, he tries to tell me what I need to work on. So we are always just getting better.”

Making a splash on offense

The most surprising part of Collins' season has nothing to do with defense. He made his debut on offense last week against Purdue, taking a jet sweep 11 yards that set up a Penn State touchdown.

Since Collins wears No. 2, most people (including the broadcast crew) initially thought receiver Zay Robinson got the carry. Even Collins was surprised when he learned he was going to get a touch on offense. 

“I knew something good was going to happen with the ball in his hands, just because he's the most competitive, one of my favorite people that we have,” Penn State offensive coordinator Taylor Mouser said.

Collins said he was with the defense going over adjustments when he learned he was going to get an offensive snap. So he headed to the field, picked up 11 yards, then returned to the sideline where he was serenaded by his defensive teammates. 

The embrace from his team and just being on the field with the offense for the first time since high school “felt amazing,” he said. And while he didn’t answer if he wanted to get more snaps there, Collins did say he will do whatever it takes to help the team win. 

“We don’t have a ton of guys that could run like AC,” Mouser said. “He's one of those guys that's always barking at me throughout spring ball. …I've been thinking about it for a long time because if he's on offense, we can't play against him on defense at practice.”

“He is the standard bearer of what this program should look like,” Campbell said. “... And what that guy's about is everything you want a star player to be about.”