Brandeis' Blake goes from unknown to blue-chipper
By Blake Hurtik (San Antonio Express-News)
It was an easy mistake. In Brandeis' 2010 game programs, an extra “L” slipped into Colin Blake's name. So for his first varsity season, he was “Collin Blake,” a walking typo.
“It happens,” Blake said. “People misspell my name all the time.”
Not any more. In the span of a year, the senior cornerback has gone from relearning the game of football to being one of the most sought-after recruits in the area.
It's a long way from being a typo.
“I'll put my name in Google and I'll see all this stuff, and I'm not used to it,” Blake said. “It's kind of like I'm famous.”
Before he was famous, he was just another basketball player at Brandeis.
He gave up football once he got to high school to focus on hoops. At 6-foot-3, he made for a solid small forward.
But Brandeis football coach John Campbell had kept a watchful eye on Blake since he set foot on campus. He saw a future go-to receiver or shutdown cornerback.
“If they're a good athlete, it doesn't matter the size, shape or color of the ball,” Campbell said. “They're going to be competitive.”
It didn't take any recruiting on Campbell's part to get Blake to strap on a helmet. His team's success on the field — a 25-11 record in three seasons of existence — did it for him. Brandeis was young, but it was clearly a football school.
“That's really what made me want to play,” Blake said.
The transition wasn't easy. Brandeis coaches spent fall camp trying to turn him into a wide receiver with no luck. Then they tried him at cornerback. He made an interception on his first play at the position.
He had found a home.
But he was far from a finished product. He spent the first half of last season getting his bearings, finally hitting his stride in the playoffs. Only Brandeis' playoff run lasted just two weeks.
After his first full season in the sport, Blake wasn't even an all-district pick with his modest stat line (42 tackles, one interception, six pass break-ups).
That didn't stop colleges from taking notice.
The swarms of recruiters that stopped by campus to take a look at teammate Kyle Marrs, a lineman committed to Oklahoma, couldn't ignore the 6-3, 185-pound cornerback with a sub-4.5-second 40-yard dash.
Soon, Blake had offers from nine schools, including OU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and TCU.
“It's crazy. I never thought that this would happen,” Blake said. “But I'm blessed that it did.”
The only person more surprised was his father. Winston Blake grew up playing soccer in Trinidad and lived all over the world as a doctor in the U.S. Air Force. When a friend mentioned Rivals.com had tabbed Colin as a four-star recruit, Winston replied with a blank stare.
“I didn't know what that meant,” he said. “This has been an education for me.
“And the letters — 10 or 12 a day. He's ruining my mailbox.”
Winston's main focus has been maintaining his son's perspective. He uses his own past as a reminder. After growing up in a poor family in Trinidad, Winston worked his way through college and medical school, and eventually to a successful career.
“There's no entitlement,” he said. “You have to earn it.”
So far, Colin has heeded his advice. He hasn't rushed to commit and plans to take his first official visit to Florida State during Brandeis' open week. Until then he's focused on backing up all the offseason hype.
Or in his dad's words, earning the hype.
“I want to step up big time,” Blake said. “With what's going on right now, I need to because some of these kids look up to me because of all this (recruiting) stuff going on. I'm ready for whatever comes my way.”
