Stacy Collins, formerly with Penn State, will lead Boise State’s special teams in the Fiesta Bowl

There aren’t many similarities between Penn State and Boise State. But when the teams meet in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal on Tuesday in the Fiesta Bowl (7:30 p.m., ESPN), Stacy Collins will see familiar faces on both sidelines.

Collins spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as Penn State’s special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach. The move was an adjustment for the Sutherlin, Ore., native, who spent the majority of his playing and coaching career west of the Mississippi, with stops at Western Michigan, Western Oregon, South Dakota School of Mines, Idaho State, and Utah State, among others.

“I didn’t know a ton about Penn State before I decided to go out there,” Collins told The Inquirer. “[Coaching] in the Big Ten was a unique experience. Recruiting out in that area was great for me, getting out of my comfort zone and being in some areas that I hadn’t been before.”

He’s spent 18 seasons as a special teams coordinator, his current position at Boise State. In Happy Valley, Collins worked closely with many key Nittany Lions on both sides of the ball. That included running back Nicholas Singleton, who averaged 25.5 yards per kick return in those two seasons.

Collins’ impact on Penn State’s special teams was immediate. Long snapper Chris Stoll won the Patrick Mannelly Award, which honors the nation’s top player at his position, while Singleton was a All-Big Ten second-teamer as a return specialist in 2022.

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“[I remember Coach Collins] being that leader for special teams, setting the tone every time we stepped on the field,” Singleton said of his former coach. “He’s always been that energy guy. Everybody loves him, man, like everybody thinks he’s funny. I just can’t wait to see him again and go up against him.”

In addition to his special teams duties with the Broncos, Collins also coaches inside linebackers, meaning his familiarity with Singleton on special teams will come in handy in multiple facets of Boise State’s game plan. He called Singleton “an elite football player and certainly an elite returner.”

“You know some of the guys [on Penn State’s roster] a bit more because you’ve been in the meetings with them, you’ve been around practice,” Collins said. “But all of that being said, this game is all about our preparation, how we get ready for a very good football team [in] Penn State.”

During his opening statement earlier this week when discussing early preparations for Boise State, Penn State coach James Franklin said Collins “knows us well, we know him as well, and he’s done a really good job [at Boise State].”

What Nittany Lions players recall most about Collins’ time in Happy Valley is his humor and energy.

Take Dominic DeLuca, a former walk-on who had his shining moment last week against Southern Methodist with two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). Early in DeLuca’s career at Penn State, he spent most of his snaps on Collins’ special teams units and earned the team’s John Bruno Memorial Award for the program’s top special teams player last season. Now a two-time team captain, DeLuca also had a blocked punt during a win over Massachusetts last season.

Collins helped former Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz coach the linebackers, including DeLuca, Kobe King, Abdul Carter (now a defensive end), and Tony Rojas. When asked about Collins this week, DeLuca called his former special teams coordinator “my guy.”

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“We had a great relationship, just being able to talk with him, [we] would go eat at his house,” DeLuca recalled. “Being able to meet his family. … He decided to move on and do better things, and I’m excited for him, I’m happy for him, and I’m proud for him, and being able to go against him this week, I’m excited to play against [Boise State].”

The 49-year old Collins also utilized his connections on the West Coast to help in Penn State’s recruiting efforts. Offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane, a Graham, Wash. native who was previously a University of Washington pledge, says Collins was “probably the biggest part of me coming here.” Now, Ioane, known for his crushing blocks after offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki decided to bring him in motion against UCLA, is playing a big role in Penn State’s playoff run.

“He was the first one to reach out to me, we talked a little bit. He got me out [on a visit to Penn State],” Ioane said. “He got the coaches involved, and got me in contact with [offensive line] coach [Trautwein]. So I’m grateful for him and everything he’s done for me. I wouldn’t be here ... without him communicating with me back when I de-committed from [the] University of Washington.”

Collins rejoined the Boise State staff earlier this year, thanks to a previous relationship under head coach Spencer Danielson. Collins was the special teams coordinator for the Broncos in 2021 under previous coach Andy Avalos. Danielson was the defensive coordinator in 2021, while Collins also coached the edge rusher group that season.

Familiarity played a big part in Collins’ return, but the opportunity to “add some roles to my titles” was important to him at this stage of his career. And Danielson says he’s grateful to have the experienced special teams coordinator on his staff.

“The amount of prep that he goes into, to be able to game-plan all special teams, he does all of it from the field goal, field goal block, to all four units,” Danielson said Monday. “Being able to have an idea of [Penn State’s] personnel, knowing a little bit about who these players are, some of the things they did last year. They do have some similarities; they have evolved and grown.

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“We need to do a really good job of winning the hidden yards in this game.”

Boise State has been strong in the kicking department this season. Placekicker Jonah Dalmas, a Lou Groza semifinalist under Collins in 2021, has made 13 of 16 kicks this season. Punter James Ferguson-Reynolds ranks in the nation’s top half in net punting average (43.8). And on defense, Boise State has three blocked punts, matching their 2021 output that ranked seventh nationally that season.

Before the game, Penn State players will come up and exchange pleasantries with their old coach. But when the ball is kicked on New Year’s Eve, Collins expects to have his special teams units well prepared to match the Nittany Lions’ speed.

“It always starts with coverage units that do an unbelievable job of being able to play and kick the ball and cover down,” Collins said. “And then you want to try to gain yardage in the return games and make sure you get a chance to put points on the board from a field goal standpoint. So for us, it’s a weekly checklist that we work through when you’re playing this deep into the season. You want to make sure you stay with that process.”