COYOTES ADD FOUR-YEAR MTSU STARTER WR CHRISTIAN COLLIS, 6-1, 217, TO SILVER STRETCH

(INDIO) – Middle Tennessee State receiver Christian Collis, 6-1, 217, who started 43 games and built an impressive D-1 resume against heavyweights like Alabama, Mississippi State, Brigham Young, East Carolina and Georgia Tech, signed today with the four-time champion SoCal Coyotes, the professional non-profit sports leadership organization announced.

Collis, who earned his bachelor degree last fall in mass communication, established his reputation as a Blue Raider with clutch catches in traffic against notable defensive backs like Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey, and Mississippi State’s Darius Slay. That caught the eye of Coyotes director of player personnel Marvin Jones, who liked Collis’s size, toughness, and route awareness up the seam against physical defenders.

The son of Terence Collis and Racquel Ellington, Collis steps into the Coyotes strongest rookie class in franchise history – and the team’s potent Silver Stretch Run ‘n’ Shoot offense. Despite putting up a club record 5,543 total yards last season, the Coyotes have reloaded with weapons capable of shattering those numbers.

Collis is an Opelika, Alabama, native who was remarkably durable during his four years in Murfreesboro, including a personal best 66-snap game against Marshall. The former three-star Rivals.com recruit was an all-conference player and Super 8 Area selection in high school, where he also starred in basketball and track, and set a triple jump record.

Coach Jones and team president Don West Jr. finalized Collis’s transition to America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program Monday afternoon. Athletic Director Sean Tully said Collis will be enrolled in the team’s Head of Household Work Leadership (HOWL) Program and will complete his orientation and medical intake with Director of Operations Cinthia Paiz Tuesday.

Collis reports July 28 to the defending LCFL champion Coyotes, who went 11-1 last fall. This will be their first season in the vaunted Southern California Football League, home to four of the nation’s top 10 teams.

The Coyotes open at home at Shadow Hills August 13, against the Central Coast Seminoles of Oxnard.

ON THE FIELD, 70 PLAYERS EACH YEAR earn the distinction of ‘Defending the Shield’ in the uniform of the SoCal Coyotes. Many will earn a shot with NFL, CFL or AFL opportunities, or graduate into business careers. Off the field, more than 30,000 Coachella Valley youth annually participate in Coyote Leadership Training and receive published Coyote Leadership Curriculum.

THE SOCAL COYOTES affect every community they touch. Coyote programs reach thousands of youth through coordinated efforts with numerous local charitable and civic organizations, including Boys & Girls Clubs, the YMCA, the Desert Strength Academy, the Boys & Girl Scouts of America, and Rotary International.

DISCOVER how The Pro Football Educator, operated by former Denver Broncos GM and two-time Super Bowl winner Ted Sundquist, selected the SoCal Coyotes as America’s #1 Developmental Pro Football Program. Visit www.thesocalcoyotes.com.

-Michele Tully, Director of Marketing ([email protected])