Arkansas Recruit Can't Commit Because His Mother Ran Off With His Letter Of Intent

Alex Collins, one of the top RB prospects in the nation, was going to Arkansas. He said as much Monday night, making as official an announcement as one can make before National Signing Day. Well, today's signing day, and Collins was not in attendance at the ceremony—a placard with his name was set up, but removed just before showtime.

His high school didn't shed much light on the situation:

South Plantation athletic director Mike Collins was vague about Alex Collins' absence, but noted "more due diligence needs to be done on the family's side of things," and confirmed that the running back had not signed a national letter-of-intent with any college.

"We're going to give the family as much time as they need to make the right decision," Mike Collins told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "At this time there's no indication of anything other than the original plan. The family just wants more time."

There might be more to this. ESPN's Corey Long says the letter of intent was ready to go, but that Collins's mother absconded with it:

"The papers are not there. I've been told by two different sources that Alex Collins' mom confiscated the papers and took off and ran with them. They are looking for her currently. From what I understand, Alex is not at the school right now, he is looking for his mom. She was quite torn up about him leaving."

Collins attends school in Plantation, Fla., just outside Miami. Reports are split—either Collins's mother doesn't want him to travel so far for college, or she specifically wants him to be a Hurricane. These are not mutually exclusive, and of course it might be a smokescreen for any number of reasons why Collins could want to back out of Arkansas's class. But still: moms, am I right?