Austin Collie Issues Stark Warning to Receivers: Can They Rise to the Challenge for the New QB?

Collie: (B) “Tying a national record. Any player wants to leave his fingerprint on the game, that was probably as close as I got nationally.”Question 3Get an inclusive look inside BYU Football’s 1984 National Championship season.

Collie: (A) “I led the nation. Let’s go. Of course!

“So you have to have that mindset that you are going to go the extra mile to make that play for the quarterback so he gets completions and his confidence continues to build. There is a lot more pressure on that receivers group for sure this year.”BYU legend Austin Collie knows what it’s like to play with both new quarterbacks and veterans. During his time in Provo he was a key playmaker during the BYU debuts of John Beck (2003) and Max Hall (2007). As an NFL player with the Colts and Patriots, Collie caught passes from Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Tom Brady.

“I just got done telling my little guys, we have a new quarterback this year and I rounded up the wide receivers and told them, ‘Listen, with a new quarterback, there is a lot more (going on) for him than the receivers. You need to make the plays for the quarterback, plays that maybe you wouldn’t have made before with the old quarterback,” Collie told the “Y’s Guys” livestream show this week. Collie: (C) “Hall of Fame. Yeah, I mean, we didn’t win the Super Bowl. It’s just another game if you don’t win it.” As BYU’s most decorated receiver in program history, read what football accomplishments Collie is the most proud of and why.As a receiver who played for four of the best, Collie understands the impact his position can have on a newbie and also the joy that comes from playing with a veteran. He’s watching the process at BYU and he’s coaching through his own transition on the little league fields of Herriman, Utah.

Austin Collie’s journey through the gridiron is nothing short of a masterclass in adapting to change and embracing challenges. Having been a pivotal figure during BYU’s unveilings of quarterbacks like John Beck and Max Hall, and later catching passes from legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in the NFL, Collie’s perspective is steeped in experience. Nurturing a quarterback from rookie jitters to confident command isn’t a sprint—it’s more like cultivating a delicate garden crop, requiring patience and the right conditions. What intrigues me is how much the surrounding players—especially the receivers—shape a quarterback’s growth. Collie himself is witnessing this delicate dance firsthand at BYU, all while instilling those very lessons on the little league fields of Herriman, Utah. His insights into the added pressure and the accountability receivers must shoulder for a new quarterback’s success make for a compelling narrative about teamwork, trust, and tenacity. LEARN MOREQuestion 1

“I think the (BYU) receivers know that,” he continued. “If I’m Chase Roberts, Parker Kingston or JoJo Phillips, I’m going out and making sure I try to reel in everything I can because I know we are a little behind the eight ball in terms of developing that chemistry and I know balls aren’t going to be exactly where I anticipate them to be. Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.

The Collie quiz

Question 5Question 4

1. 3,255 receiving yards
2. 30 touchdown receptions
3. 17 career 100-yard receiving games

Collie: (C) “Being named All-American. National recognition.”“Coming off a mission is hard. … Your mind is still in the pre-mission days where you think you can do all these things, but your body doesn’t cooperate with what your mind wants to do,” said Collie, who served a mission to Buenos Aires, Argentina. “He’s a little more confident, I expect some big things from him this year.”

1. National freshman statistical leader in receptions per game (4.8)
2. Breaking the BYU freshman receiving records for touchdown (8)
3. Breaking the BYU freshman record for receiving yards (771)

Collie contends the receiving corps can have a big say in how fast that happens.“He is an absolute stud. The kid has gas. Chase is fast. Parker is really fast, but having an extra guy who can stretch the field is gonna be a massive benefit to this offense,” Collie said. “As a quarterback, when you have a guy that you feel can run by anybody, that gives you a ton of confidence.”

1. As a junior in 2008, leading the nation in receiving yards per game
2. Tying the NCAA single-season record with 11 consecutive games with 100+ yards receiving.
3. Catching the pass on fourth-and-18 to set up the winning touchdown to beat the Utes.

Hagen completed his church mission to San Bernardino, California, prior to last season and played mostly on special teams. With the return of his pre-mission speed that earned him four-star status and Deseret News Mr. Football honors at Corner Canyon High, Collie believes Hagen is ready to take off.

1. Breaking Pete Van Valkenburg’s 35-year BYU record with 366 all-purpose yards against Tulsa
2. Being named MVP of the 2007 Las Vegas Bowl
3. Being named All-American by CBS, Associated Press, The Sporting News

Collie: (A) “I’ll go with the 3,255 yards. Over the course of three years without a redshirt year, it screams consistency to me and that was my main goal as a receiver — to be consistent.”Question 2

1. Getting drafted by the Colts
2. Catching a pass in Super Bowl XLIV
3. Being inducted into the BYU Hall of Fame (2019)

Aaron Roderick isn’t looking for any of his quarterbacks to jump from newness to greatness between today and the Portland State opener on Aug. 30 (6 p.m., ESPN+), but the offensive coordinator will happily welcome a move from newness to not-so-new and eventually arrive at comfortable as soon as possible.

Special Collector’s Issue: “1984: The Year BYU was Second to None”