Notre Dame football WR Beaux Collins (calf strain) expects to play against Ohio State

Posted by author January 18, 2025 Football

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ATLANTA – Notre Dame football wide receiver Beaux Collins offered positive updates on two fronts Saturday at the College Football Playoff media day.

Listed as questionable with a strained calf, Collins expects to play in Monday night’s CFP championship game against Ohio State.

The Clemson graduate transfer ranks second on the team with 37 receptions for 458 yards, and his three touchdowns are tied for the team lead.

Better still, the Sherman Oaks, Calif., product said his family has emerged unscathed in the wildfires that have affected the region.

“Everybody’s doing well,” Collins said. “The closest fire was about 25-30 minutes away from my house. My parents can see all the smoke and smell it, but it was nothing close to my house, luckily.”

Like Collins, Irish freshman linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa attended St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif.

“All my family is good,” Viliamu-Asa said. “Some extended family was not too far from the fires, but they’re all safe now.”

Since the wildfires started on Jan. 7 in Pacific Palisades, at least 27 people have died.

“It’s horrible out there, man,” Collins said. “I send prayers up for everybody who lost their houses and anybody who may have lost their lives. It’s crazy.”

As for his calf injury, Collins traced it to a play that happened late in the first quarter of the Orange Bowl win over Penn State.

“It was about play six or seven,” Collins said. “I was running a route, making a left-hand turn, and it just grabbed up on me. It was a wild feeling. A calf strain, but I’m feeling good.”

Humidity in South Florida wasn’t a factor, Collins said, but his recovery from the flu bug that swept through at least half the Irish roster may have left him feeling run down.

“The previous week I was dealing with a sickness,” Collins said. “I think I was a little malnourished. I had to get my vitamins back up.”

After making at least one reception in his first 11 games with Notre Dame, Collins has been held to three catches for 31 yards over the past four games. He was shut out against USC and Penn State, but his 13-yard grab against Georgia represented the only offensive touchdown for the Irish in that 23-10 win.

Collins wouldn’t think of sitting out Monday.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. “I’m appreciative of my teammates and coaches that got us here. It’s going to be a fun show for sure. It’s going to be a shootout. Physical game as well. Both run games are great, but we’re going to have to make some plays in the passing game.”

Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.