Considering Dylan Collie hasn’t played in a football game since 2011, Hawaii’s opener against Colorado can’t arrive soon enough for the Rainbow Warrior receiver.
Then again, his time away from the game taught him something about patience.
After redshirting at BYU in 2012, Collie devoted the next two years to sharing his faith on a mission in Richmond, Va. … at least when he was given a chance.
"You get shut down a lot," Collie said. "I’d probably talk to 90 to 150 people a day and I’d probably have a conversation with about nine of those people. I heard the word ‘no’ a lot, so it’s kind of a word that’s numb to me. I knew I was out there for a greater cause than myself and I wanted to do the best I could.
"My mission gave me a lot of maturity and a lot of discipline in a lot of different ways."
After completing his commitment, the 22-year-old Collie headed to Hawaii to resume his football career and brings a veteran presence to the Rainbow receiver corps beyond his freshman standing.
Upon enrolling at UH in January, Collie channeled his devotion in the mission field back into football and dusted off his receiving skills. There didn’t appear to be much buildup after two years away and he went into the summer penciled in as the Rainbows’ starting slot receiver.
"I think that’s because I’ve drowned myself in it," Collie said. "Because of that it’s kind of brought me back up to speed. There’s still things that I can’t expect to be perfect every single day and I have to be patient with myself."
Collie’s upbringing in a family of receivers likely accelerated the process.
His father, Scott, caught passes from BYU greats Jim McMahon and Steve Young and older brothers Zac and Austin followed as Cougar receivers. Austin set the program’s single-season records for receptions, yards and touchdowns in 2008 before embarking on a productive professional career in the NFL and in Canada.
"It was a competitive atmosphere in the best way possible," said Collie, who began playing at age 8 and continues to receive tips from Austin, now playing for the BC Lions in the CFL.
"It gave me the opportunity to really jump in and I wanted to learn about it. I wanted to know what to do on certain routes. I wanted to know how to catch the ball the right way."
Dylan initially signed with BYU and spent a semester in Provo, Utah, prior to his mission. He broke with the family line by transferring to UH and can’t wait for his restart as a Rainbow Warrior.
"I was looking for an opportunity to put myself in a position where I could be the most successful and contribute the most and truly to play for man like Coach (Norm) Chow," Collie said. "The opportunity was here at the University of Hawaii and I took it."
