Buffalo Bulls Football: Making the Leap - Collin Lisa

We're on to week 3 of Making the Leap and after highlighting a wide receiver that was on the roster last season, I decided to highlight a newcomer to the UB receiving corps in UAB transfer Collin Lisa. He's been the talk of the spring practices and if he lives up to the hype, could be a major contributor on the UB offense.

Career Review/Why He's Here

Lisa's path to UB is quite different than most; originally from Chattahoochie High School in Alpharetta, Georgia, Lisa committed to and played for the UAB Blazers before the school's football program was shut down due to "Bryant budget issues". After the untimely demise of UAB football, the players were allowed to transfer without penalty, and UB swooped in on a recruit they had sought during while he was still in high school. He joined former UAB teammate Jordan Collier in making the move from central Alabama to Western New York.

During his true freshman season at UAB, Lisa only played in 5 games and registered one catch for 9 yards.

He's on the list because of his sure-handedness that he showed during spring practices, and the potential that he brings to the UB receiving corps in the slot position.

Obstacles

1. Depth - This is honestly one of the only things that I can think of that would be a hindrance to Lisa making a large statistical impact on the field. Like I mentioned in last week's Making the Leap when I covered Jacob Martinez, the depth in the receiving corps is quite astounding and each guy beyond Ron Willoughby will be clawing for minutes. Lisa will be competing with Martinez, Marcus McGill, Jamarl Eiland, Malcom Robinson, among others for playing time.

Season Expectations

As far as slot receivers go, Lisa just about has all you want: he has good size (5-11, 180), but more importantly, he's shifty, runs crisp routes, and as evidenced in the spring practices he's about as sure-handed as they come, making spectacular catches look routine. Although I couldn't scrounge up some of the video of the spectacular catches, I was able to find this video of Lisa making a nice catch in the flat, that could become a staple of the offense this year.

WR Collin Lisa with a nice grab during Spring Practice #2! #UBBulls #HornsUp @ShowtimeLisa pic.twitter.com/5G39bo2Ayl

— UB Recruiting (@UBRecruiting) March 27, 2015

Here's some video from Lisa's high school days in high school where he shows off the above traits.

If Lisa continues to impress during practice and during camp over the summer he'll definitely have playing time throughout the year. However, the depth in front of him will be quite difficult to overcome due to his status as a newcomer on the team, meaning that his statistical impact will be limited. But, that doesn't mean that Lisa won't be an important piece of the puzzle for the UB offense. His crisp route running and presence in the slot will give opposing defensive coordinators fits and allow opportunities for his teammates to open up. In addition to working out of the slot, Lisa has also been fielding punts and kicks during the summer, meaning he may see time as a returner to give Devin Campbell a rest.

Prediction

Given the depth in front of him, Lisa will be limited statistically, but he will be on the field and will have a presence throughout the season.

Prediction: 20 receptions, 265 yards, 3 touchdowns

Go Bulls!