# Brandon Collier

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**Brandon Douglas Collier** (born September 27, 1985) is an American former [football](/source/Gridiron_football) [defensive tackle](/source/Defensive_tackle). He played [college football](/source/College_football) at the [University of Massachusetts Amherst](/source/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst), and professionally for the [Winnipeg Blue Bombers](/source/Winnipeg_Blue_Bombers) of the [Canadian Football League](/source/Canadian_Football_League) (CFL).

## Early life

Brandon Douglas Collier was born on September 27, 1985, in [Cleveland, Ohio](/source/Cleveland,_Ohio).[1] He grew up playing football until he was 11 but did not play the sport again until his senior year at [Lakewood High School](/source/Lakewood_High_School_(Lakewood,_Ohio)).[2] He also participated in [baseball](/source/Baseball) and [track](/source/Track_and_field) in high school.[3] In 2004, Collier enrolled at the boarding school [Western Reserve Academy](/source/Western_Reserve_Academy) in [Hudson, Ohio](/source/Hudson,_Ohio).[1][2] He posted 75 solo tackles, 32 assisted tackles, and 12 sacks during his one year at Western Reserve, earning second-team all-state honors.[3]

## College career

Collier received offers from some [MAC](/source/Mid-American_Conference) schools but decided to enroll at the [University of Massachusetts Amherst](/source/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst) to play for defensive-minded head coach [Don Brown](/source/Don_Brown_(American_football_coach)).[2] Collier [redshirted](/source/Redshirted) for the [UMass Minutemen](/source/UMass_Minutemen_football) in 2005 and was a four-year [letterman](/source/Letterman_(sports)) from 2006 to 2009.[1] He played in all 15 games, starting ten, for the [2006 Minutemen team](/source/2006_UMass_Minutemen_football_team) that lost in the [FCS national championship game](/source/2006_NCAA_Division_I_Football_Championship_Game), recording 52 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery.[3] Collier started all 13 games in 2007, totaling 19 solo tackles, 43 assisted tackles, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and three fumble recoveries while garnering third-team All-[Colonial Athletic Association](/source/Colonial_Athletic_Association) (CAA) recognition.[3] As a junior [team captain](/source/Team_captain) in 2008, he played in 10 games, starting nine, and posted 36 tackles.[3] He started all 11 games his senior year in 2009, totaling 38 tackles, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery while earning third-team All-CAA honors.[3] Collier majored in hospitality & tourism management.[3]

## Professional career

Collier worked out at UMass's [pro day](/source/Pro_day) in March 2010.[4] He had a workout with the [Carolina Panthers](/source/Carolina_Panthers) in spring 2010 but it was revealed that he had a pectoral muscle problem requiring surgery.[2] In 2011, he played for the [Vienna Vikings](/source/Vienna_Vikings) in Europe.[2] He signed with the [Philadelphia Eagles](/source/Philadelphia_Eagles) on August 4, 2011, after the team suffered some injuries at defensive tackle.[1][5] Collier was released on August 13, 2011.[1]

Collier signed with the [Winnipeg Blue Bombers](/source/Winnipeg_Blue_Bombers) of the [Canadian Football League](/source/Canadian_Football_League) (CFL) on April 4, 2012.[6] He played in ten games, all starts, for the Blue Bombers during the 2012 season, recording 12 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup.[1] He was released on April 9, 2013.[7]

Collier then returned to Europe and played three more seasons.[2] In August 2016, he suffered a career-ending ACL injury.[2]

## Recruiting career

In 2017, Collier founded PPI Recruits to match European players with U.S. college football teams.[2][8] As of March 2023, he had helped over 100 recruits from over 20 countries secure Division I scholarships.[9] In 2023, he was named No. 5 on [Sports Illustrated](/source/Sports_Illustrated)’s "20 Most Influential Black Figures in College Football".[9] Collier has also recruited some players from Africa and Australia.[9]

## References

1. ["Brandon Collier"](https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/c/coll00620.html). Pro Football Archives. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. Jennings, Chantel (May 31, 2019). ["Mr. Worldwide: How Brandon Collier and PPI Recruits have become college football’s international matchmaker"](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/1003700/2019/05/31/ppi-recruits-brandon-collier-europe-college-football-us-tour/). *[The New York Times](/source/The_New_York_Times)*. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. ["Brandon Collier"](https://umassathletics.com/sports/football/roster/brandon-collier/1494). [University of Massachusetts Amherst](/source/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst). Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. ["NFL Scouts Come Out For UMass Football Pro Day"](https://umassathletics.com/news/2010/3/25/nfl_scouts_come_out_for_umass_football_pro_day). [University of Massachusetts Amherst](/source/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst). March 25, 2010. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. Gunn, Dave (August 4, 2011). ["Brandon Collier Signs WIth Eagles"](https://umassathletics.com/sports/2016/7/1/blog-2011-08-brandon-collier-signs-with-eagles-html). [University of Massachusetts Amherst](/source/University_of_Massachusetts_Amherst). Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. ["BOMBERS SIGN CANADIAN DL RYAN LUCAS"](https://www.cfl.ca/2012/04/04/bombers-sign-canadian-dl-ryan-lucas/). [CFL.ca](/source/CFL.ca). April 4, 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. Friesen, Paul (April 9, 2013). ["Bombers quarterback Pierce glad for opportunity to start"](https://winnipegsun.com/2013/04/09/bombers-quarterback-pierce-glad-for-opportunity-to-start). *[Winnipeg Sun](/source/Winnipeg_Sun)*. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. Berardino, Mike (August 20, 2021). ["Meet The Man Behind Europe's College Football Invasion"](https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeberardino/2021/08/20/meet-the-man-behind-europes-college-football-invasion/). *[Forbes](/source/Forbes)*. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

1. MacKenzie, Daniel (March 6, 2023). ["PPI’s Brandon Collier named to Sports Illustrated’s Top 20 Most Influential Black Figures in College Football"](https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/ppis-brandon-collier-named-to-sports-illustrateds-top-20-most-influential-black-figures-in-college-football/). American Football International. Retrieved 3 August 2025.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Brandon Collier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Collier) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Collier?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.