BYU football has been referred to as Quarterback U as it has produced many great quarterbacks especially once LaVell Edwards took over. Gary Sheide, Gifford Nielsen, Marc Wilson, Jim McMahon, Steve Young, Robbie Bosco, Ty Detmer, John Walsh, Steve Sarkisian, Brandon Doman, John Beck, and Max Hall just to name a few.
What these quarterbacks needed were great wide receivers to throw to and in the Bronco Mendenhall era which began in 2005, BYU has had two of the greatest.
Austin Collie ( 2004, 2007-2008) was the first big receiver that the Cougars had.
He was initially recruited to BYU by former coach Gary Crowton and earned Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year honors in 2004. He served a mission to Buenos Aires, Argentina and when he got back he continued to put up huge numbers and was the primary target for quarterback Max Hall along with Dennis Pitta at the tight end position.
In 2008, during his junior season Collie led the nation in receiving yards per game (118.31), total yards receiving (1538), and he was third in receiving yards per catch at a 14.51 clip and third in receptions with 106. He tied with Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech for consecutive 100-yard receiving games with 11. He was also named to the college football All-American team.
Oct 13, 2013; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Austin Collie leaves the field after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated the Saints 30-27. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports
People will remember one of the biggest catches that Collie had during the 2007 season. On fourth-and-18 from their own 12 and down 10-9, the Utah defenders somehow let Collie behind them and he hauled in a 49-yard pass from Max Hall for a first down. It led to Harvey Unga plunging into the end zone from 11 yards out with 38 seconds remaining to clinch the 17-10 win over rival Utah.
Collie left BYU as the all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,255 and receiving touchdowns with 30. He was second in career receptions with 215 behind Dennis Pitta with 221.
One thing to think about is what could have been had Collie stayed for his senior season in 2009 rather than going to the NFL? What kind of numbers would he have put up and would he have helped BYU defeat TCU and possibly get into a BCS bowl at the time?
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One year after Collie left BYU in walked 6-foot-4-inch Cody Hoffman out of Crescent City , California. He wasn’t highly recruited and was only a 2-star recruit coming out of Del Norte High School where as a senior he had caught 50 passes for over 1,000 yards with seven 100-yard receiving games.
Dec 27, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Tre Watson (32) and defensive back Marcus Peters (21) defend a pass to Brigham Young Cougars wide receiver Cody Hoffman (2) during the fourth quarter at AT&T Park. The Washington Huskies defeated the Brigham Young Cougars 31-16. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
After redshirting his freshman season in 2009, Hoffman went on to break the school record for receptions (248), receiving yards (3,445), and receiving touchdowns (33). His breakout game came in the 2010 New Mexico Bowl when he had 8 receptions for 137 yards and three touchdowns.
His best season came during his junior campaign in 2012. He received an All-America Honorable Mention from SI.com, Phil Steele All-Independent First Team, FBS All-Independent Team, and he was on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. He had 100 receptions, 1,248 yards, and 11 touchdowns. It included a five touchdown performance on a career-high 182 yards against New Mexico State.
Collie went on to play in the NFL with the Colts, 49ers, and the Patriots but concussion issues have derailed his NFL career. He has signed a contract with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League and we will see where that takes him.
Hoffman signed as an undrafted free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2014 but was released in August of 2014. In February of 2015, he signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
For me the question of which one I would choose is a tough one. I like the speed and the hands of Collie and the route running but Hoffman became the all-time receptions leader at BYU with quarterbacks like Jake Heaps, Riley Nelson, and Taysom Hill. Nelson and Hill aren’t really known for their passing ability so what Hoffman did while at BYU is remarkable. He did play four years though which had Collie done that at BYU and with Max Hall throwing to him during his senior season he most likely would have put up numbers that nobody would ever catch.
It is all in the eye of the beholder and what they want to see and do with their team. Who would you choose?