Hillcrest linebacker Collin Dunn has a passion for animals and football

Hillcrest linebacker Collin Dunn was 4 years old when he learned a valuable lesson. His grandfather, former assistant chief of the Tuscaloosa Police Department, Ronnie Dunn, woke Collin early in the morning and took him out fishing for the first time.

“I didn’t like it at first because you’re on a lot of water and you just have to sit there and wait,” Collin said. “But that really taught me a lot of patience with a lot of things, and that’s why I just keep fishing, because it taught me a lot from a young age.”

The taste of the open water forced the three-star linebacker to explore other hobbies such as hunting. The “happiest moment of his life” came when he killed a deer with a .243 Winchester rifle during his first hunting trip with his grandfather in Eutaw, Alabama.

“I remember shooting, but I really couldn’t tell if I was hitting or not,” Collin said. “So I just constantly ask and ask, ‘Did I hit? Did I hit? Did I hit?’ (Ronnie) said, “Yeah, trust me.” I remember we walked to the field and the deer was right there.’

Collins’ love of animals started at a young age, so his parents, Ron and Felicia Dunn, bought him ant farms and tools. Collin dug in ant beds and loved when it rained because of how big they got.

“Anything you want to know about an ant or any other animal, it can tell you,” Felicia said. “He has always been fascinated by animals. He loved wolves even in kindergarten. He made all those howling noises and told people he was a wolf.”

Dunn is number 4 on The Tuscaloosa News’ inaugural Fab 5 – a roundup of the area’s best college football prospects from the Class of 2023, as chosen by the paper.

Collin’s patience and love for animals paved the way for him to turn to Kansas State football and a major in animal science and industry in June. He is the No. 41 recruit in Alabama in the class of 2023, according to the 247Sports Composite, and he selected the Wildcats over 10 other schools. Weighing six feet and 190 pounds, he is a versatile athlete who played basketball and multiple football positions in high school.

Collin thanks his family for motivating him to continue playing football. Ron says Collin only told him once that he wanted to quit football.

“One morning he took me out to train, and I said I was done playing football because I’m young, and it was early in the morning,” Collin said.

Ron woke an elementary school Collin at 8am to practice in their backyard before a 1pm game. In the humid heat, Collin developed pain that irritated him and made him tired.

“I got it to the point where I was trying to get it, and it broke that day,” Ron said. “I said to him, ‘Football is something you have to want to do.’ That sport there, no one can bring you to it.”

Collin was playing with his Little League team, the Central Falcons, that day and changed his mind.

“I played a really great game,” Collin said. “(My father) asked me, ‘Are you sure you’re ready?’ I said, ‘No sir. I’m going to continue.’”

Collin losing his great-grandmother and grandmother also forced him to grow. His great-grandmother kept him for the first two years of his life and watched him the whole time, while he and his grandmother were inseparable.

“Because of his close relationship with both of them, it was a bit difficult for him to lose two grandparents who were a part of each other within two months,” Felicia said. “He’s not very emotional, but he’s a caring person.”

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Collin carries these experiences with him to Hillcrest.

“You literally couldn’t ask for a better person,” said Hillcrest football coach Jamie Mitchell. “I said to every coach who recruited that guy, ‘Here’s the deal on him. He’s a great footballer, but he might be a better person than he is a player.’ He is a super kid to be around and super respectful.”

Hillcrest quarterback and childhood friend Ethan Crawford characterized Collin as a “hidden character” and “a little sneaky.” Dunn seems to be having a good time in the locker room and outside with friends.

“He’s actually quite comical off the field,” said Hillcrest outside linebackers coach Trent Williams, who coached Dunn on the Hillcrest junior team in the West Alabama Youth Football Association. “He likes cutting, having fun and making jokes. He may make a joke about someone next to him or knock their hats off their heads and pretend he didn’t.

When Collin isn’t making plays and having fun with family and friends, he’s probably doing what he loves most: fishing, hunting, or getting to know new animals.

Hillcrest opens his season at home against Pike Road on August 19.

Derrian Carter is a sportscasting intern for the Tuscaloosa News. Contact him at DCarter@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @DerrianCarter00.