Collins may get 6th year

Way back in July, before the Yankees won the World Series or President Clinton was elected for a second term, Nittany Lion defensive back Jason Collins sent a waiver to the NCAA requesting an extra year to finish his eligibility.

"Nothing is official," said Collins, who hopes to get the official word by the first week of February, "but all signs point to it's going to turn out in my favor."

Collins, you'll remember, started the first three games of the 1995 season at the hero position, but on the seventh play of an eventual 59-34 shellacking of Rutgers, he broke his left leg about as bad as anyone can break a leg.

Since that play, Collins hasn't been able to play. He knew he would have to miss the remainder of the 1995 season, but he thought, just maybe, he could play in 1996. Then in July, Collins realized he wouldn't be able to compete at full strength, so he sent his request to the NCAA to join the short list of athletes who have been granted a sixth year to complete their four years of eligibility.

Former Penn State defensive lineman Chris Mazyck got an extra year after he was shot in the leg and forced to sit out the 1991 and 1992 seasons. He returned for the 1993 and 1994 campaigns.

Dan Conley, a linebacker at Syracuse from 1989 through 1994, also was given a sixth year after knee surgery kept him out of action for the most of the 1991 season and the entire 1993 campaign.

Now, Collins seems confident he will join Mazyck and Conley and get a sixth year.

The 1996-97 NCAA Manual states a sixth year may be granted if there are situations out of the student's or his school's control that keep him from participating in his sport for more than one season during his first five years. Collins fits that bill, as he missed 75 percent of the 1995 season and all of the 1996 campaign, but apparently convincing the NCAA hasn't been that simple.

"It's been a tough year," said the soft-spoken but hard-hitting Collins. "I've matured. I've learned a lot about life. I actually have piece of mind, if you can believe that."

Collins thought he would have the NCAA's answer by September but now, nearly five months after he believed he would have the decision, he is more than ready for the response.

"I had no idea it would drag out this long," Collins said.

But even though the NCAA has made him wait and wait and wait some more, Collins doesn't have a nasty word to say about the organization. He refuses to sulk and feel sorry for himself, which is a lot more than most people could do.

"I realize they have a lot going on," Collins said of the NCAA. "I have no ill feelings over the length of time it took. Joe (Paterno) said, 'You can't rush the NCAA. It's probably unfair, but that's the way they do it.' "

While making Collins and other athletes wait for answers concerning situations that could have a dramatic impact on their lives may be the norm for the NCAA, it doesn't mean it's right.

Regardless of how busy the NCAA is, it should have given Collins an answer months ago. It's not like the NCAA has a handful of employees handling every ordeal. Collins should have been treated better by the NCAA, but things appear to be turning around for him.

He said his leg is now at about 90 to 95 percent of full strength. He said he is preparing for the 1997 season just as if he were a member of the team and started official workouts Monday.

"I talked to Joe (Paterno), and he said, 'You're part of this team,' " Collins said. "I feel right at home."

Collins also is scheduled to graduate in May with a degree in elementary education and then start graduate work next year, considering he does get a sixth year of eligibility. Then when and if he plays next season, the 5-foot-11, 193-pound Collins could be playing a new position. He could move to safety, as Shawn Lee played well at hero, and incumbent safety Kim Herring has used up his eligibility.

"I'd probably rather play safety," Collins said. "That's the coaches' decision."

Plus, Collins, if he does get that extra year, will get to play together one more season with his brother Aaron, a starting outside linebacker for Penn State.

Collins said he hasn't even thought about what he'll do if he gets a "no" response from the NCAA.

"I'm just believing they'll say, 'Yes,' " he said. "I don't think it's a 100 percent that I'll get the sixth year, but it looks good."

After all the waiting, a "yes" response seems the only fair one.

"They could've said no in September," Collins added.

And the NCAA could've, and should've, said yes in September.