Ex-Alabama prep player reaches one thousand receiving yards

On the second snap of the Houston Texans game against the New York Jets on Sunday, wide receiver Nico Collins completed a 13-yard ball from quarterback C.J. Stroud to become the ninth player from an Alabama high school to earn 1,000 receiving yards in an NFL season.

Sadly for Collins and the Texans, Houston lost to the Jets 30–6 because the former Clay–Chalkville standout worsened his calf injury and missed the rest of the game.

In 2023, Collins’ third NFL season, he had 60 receptions for 1,004 yards and six touchdowns. Collins caught 70 passes for 927 yards and three scores in 24 games throughout his first two seasons. Collins missed the Texans’ 30-27 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on November 12 due to a calf injury. Injuries cost him 10 games.

Alongside Harlon Hill, Red Phillips, John Stallworth, Ozzie Newsome, Terrell Owens, Jerricho Cotchery, Julio Jones, and Darnell Mooney, Collins is one of the previous top players from Alabama’s high school football programs who has amassed 1,000 receiving yards in football seasons.

Collins is the 53rd player from an Alabama high school or college to have a 1,000-yard receiving season in the National Football League. Collins joined the state’s 1,000-yard list as the eighteenth player.

The following NFL 1,000-yard receivers have ties to Alabama football (yearly totals shown as receptions-receiving yards-touchdown receptions):