Tony Collins II joined the Cardinals in the summer of 2026 and is in his first season with the Cardinals as a defensive line coach, special teams coordinator, and strength and conditioning coach.
Collins heads to Middletown after spending four seasons as Washington & Lee, leading the Generals' defensive line while assisting with the special teams unit. During Collins' tenure, W&L established themselves as one of the premier defensive squads in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, consistently ranking among the league leaders in multiple stat categories. In the 2025 season, W&L ranked second in the ODAC in scoring defense (19.4), total defense (301.4), and rushing defense (120.7), while W&L led the ODAC with 33 sacks in 2023 as well as scoring defense (14.4).
Under Collins' guidance, W&L earned one All-Region selection and six All-ODAC selections. His student-athletes also excelled in the classroom, highlighted by two ODAC Scholar Athletes of the Year, one Academic All-District selection, and four National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society selections.
Collins graduated from Davidson in 2019 as a four-year member of the Wildcats' football team. He was a two-time All-Pioneer League selection at linebacker and totaled 205 tackles and 10 tackles for loss throughout his playing career.
