Alabama vs. LSU Is the Landon Collins Grudge Match

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Landon Collins didn’t hesitate when talking about Alabama’s game against LSU this week.

The Alabama safety from Geismar, Louisiana, still feels like he has a lot to prove against his home-state team, whose fans he still hears from after his wild recruitment.

“Personally, this game means a lot,” Collins said. “Just want to show them I picked the right team, definitely, that we’re the dominant force, that we’re the best team in the SEC. Show them that basically, I picked the better team.”

Now a junior at Alabama, Collins has turned into one of Alabama’s best players and its biggest leader on defense. He's second on the team in tackles with 53 and has intercepted two passes.

He played sparingly against LSU in 2012, his freshman year and first time on the opposite sideline at Tiger Stadium. Now he returns as a starter who will play a major role in the Crimson Tide’s success.

It’s the culmination of a journey for Collins that has contained several twists and turns. It's led him back to Baton Rouge and Tiger Stadium, where he can remain perfect for his career against LSU.

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

If you are an LSU or Alabama fan, you remember his commitment.

Collins sat on a couch at the Under-Armour All-America Game, flanked by ESPN’s Dari Nowkhah and his mom, April Justin.

He was one of the most highly sought-after players in the 2012 recruiting class, and LSU desperately wanted to keep the state’s top prospect at home. Alabama and head coach Nick Saban, as they frequently do, were making a big push to land their next defensive star.

So there Collins was, as Nowkhah asked him where he would play his college ball. What happened next is forever cemented in live commitment lore.

He slipped on a pair of Alabama gloves and said “Roll Tide Roll” as he did so. To his left, though, his mom’s disapproval was clear.

She put her left hand over her face and shook her head.

“I feel LSU is a better place for him to be. LSU Tigers, No. 1,” Justin said, putting an index finger in the air.

The commitment drew ire from a lot more Louisianans than just his mom. It’s something that he is reminded of, even now.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

“Yes sir, I do,” Collins said on Monday. “Constantly. Everybody. The biggest is about my mom, asking ‘Is your mom still an LSU fan?’ and stuff like that. I’m like ‘Nah, she just cheers me on.’”

So it’s easy to see why this is such a big week for him.

“Definitely, means a lot because I want to go undefeated against those guys,” Collins said. “I don’t want to hear anything about ‘What happened this year? What happened that year?' No, I beat y’all all four, five years.”

It’s highly unlikely Collins makes it four, let alone five, years. He’s considered a top prospect in the 2015 NFL draft, expected to come out after his junior year.

Bleacher Report NFL draft analyst Matt Miller put Collins at No. 10 overall on his midseason big board.

So Collins will likely only get the opportunity to go 3-0 against his home-state team.

Still, it’s a game that clearly means a lot. Not only in the standings, but to a player from the area looking to prove yet another point against the team he spurned.

“Just going back into LSU country,” he said. “To playing in that stadium to hearing that hooting and hollering with their fans and the team. Definitely, this is the best game.”

Marc Torrence is the Alabama lead writer for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Follow on Twitter @marctorrence.