This has been a tragic summer for recent ex-Razorback football players. No sooner than the news about Ryan Mallett could be processed than word came about Alex Collins.
The second-leading rusher in program history and formerly with two National Football League teams died in a traffic accident near his Florida hometown late Sunday night, several sources confirmed. Among them were the UA, the Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens, as well as the league office.
A Broward County Sheriff's Office report on the accident stated Collins was driving a Suzuki motorcycle in Lauderdale Lakes, Fla, about 10:20 p.m. when an SUV traveling from the opposite direction veered in his path, causing Collins to crash through the rear passenger-side window. According to the report, Collins, 28, was pronounced dead at the scene.
"He was a legendary Razorback and an even better person," the Razorbacks' football account posted on social media. "His love for the Razorbacks and desire to be a Hog was undeniable. We will miss him greatly."
Collins finished second in career rushing at UA with 3,703 yards behind Darren McFadden's 4.590 yards. His 1,588-yard season in 2015 was third best in program history.
Collins joined Georgia's Herschel Walker (1980-82). LSU's Kevin Faulk (1996-98) and McFadden (2015-17) as the only SEC running backs with three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
Collins also caught a long lateral by tight end Hunter Henry for a 31-yard gain on fourth and 25 in overtime at Ole Miss in 2015. The Hogs won the game 53-52, Brandon Allen getting a second chance for a winning two-point play after what became known as the Henry Heave.
Collins last played professionally for the Memphis Showboats of the USFL this season, starting all three games he played and rushing for 98 yards and one touchdown.
Mallett, the school's single-season passing record holder with 3,869 yards in 2010, drowned June 27 in the Gulf of Mexico near Destin, Fla. He had finished one season as head football coach at White Hall High School.
"Our Razorback family is again grieving the untimely loss of one of our own," UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek posted. "Alex Collins was an electrifying player on the field & a ray of light in life. He loved being a Razorback & the state loved him."