By Joe Davidson
jdavidson@sacbee.com
Dylan Collie is his own man now. He's a Collie, to be sure, but he's no longer "Zac's kid brother" or "Austin's brother."
He's Dylan Collie, BYU football - and yes, a member of the Collie BYU clan that also included father Scott a generation ago.
Collie, the terrific Oak Ridge High School receiver, spoke glowingly of his recruiting trip in Utah, the BYU campus visit, the academic possibilities, the football facilities, the Mormon mission ideas, the next chapter of his life.
And this time, he went to BYU not directly affiliated or attached to Zac, now in real estate in Folsom, or Austin, a receiver for the Indianapolis Colts.
"I was so excited to be there, it got me juiced," Collie said tonight. "It was fun to go when I was younger and went with a brother, but I was always Austin or Zac's younger brother. This time, it was me, and that made it special."
Collie said the entire weekend was memorable, right on down the pizza slices and the talk of faith and football.
And here's a refreshing twist about Collie: he's in no dire hurry to grow up. He wants to maximize every last day at Oak Ridge, in El Dorado Hills.
"I was never a kid who wanted to grow up and get out of here," he said. "When I was 6 or 7 years old, I was scared to grow up. I'm more of a guy wanting time to slow down. I absolutely have loved El Dorado Hills and all the people. It's going to be hard to leave because of all the people.
"I'm in no hurry to go. I'd love to go back and play some games 100 percent healthy (after missing time with injuries). But as slow as I want these months to go, I can't wait until Sept. 1 against Washington State."
Collie expects to be in uniform on that date, the season opener. He play the season then head off for a two-year mission, destination unknown.
As much as Collie embraces the BYU name and tradition and for what it all stands for, he earlier had visions of Oregon Ducks green, especially after striking up a friendship with Whitney quarterback Jake Rodrigues, a Ducks recruit.
"At first, I would have loved to have gone to Oregon," Collie said. "They were interested. They came to Oak Ridge for visits. I wanted to commit to a school before the season, and then later, one day it hit me: there is no other place like BYU. I'm very excited to be going there."
Follow Dylan Collie on Twitter: DRC_09
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