Today@Sam Article
Bearkat To Buccaneer: Zyon McCollum's Rise To NFL Starter
Sept. 5, 2024
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins
Former Sam Houston State University football standout Zyon McCollum was named a starting cornerback on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense entering Sunday’s season opener against the Washington Commanders. The Galveston native was selected by the team in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft after helping lead the Bearkats to a Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Championship.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” McCollum said. “I would not be the player or man I am today without the trials and tribulations I went through at Sam Houston. It kept me humble and always consistently working.”
McCollum started nine games for the NFC South champion Buccaneers during the 2023 campaign, forcing a pair of fumbles and deflecting nine passes. He has also appeared in all three of the team’s playoff matchups over the last two seasons.
“Coming into the league from a smaller school, you have to do that much more to stand out,” he said. “That work ethic has never left me, especially in the NFL. It motivated me to work even harder.”
Along with professional diligence, SHSU football coach K.C. Keeler’s program helped McCollum develop a winning attitude. During his tenure at SHSU, the Bearkats boasted a remarkable 46-13 record, including a run of 22 straight wins.
“To be successful at this level, you have to believe you are the best at all times,” McCollum said. “Winning a national championship is something I will never forget, but it also taught me how hard it is to get there as an individual as well as a team leader. Being a part of that helped me understand the reason you work so hard when nobody is watching.”
This mindset made him a perfect fit for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have qualified for the NFL Playoffs in each of the last four seasons and brought home the franchise’s second Super Bowl title in 2020. He was able to develop in this system under legendary names like Tom Brady, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Mike Evans, who remains the team’s top wide receiver and also attended Galveston Ball High School, McCollum’s alma mater.
“Being around all of these high-class athletes and Hall-of-Famers, and seeing how their work ethics align with what we had at Sam Houston, basically shows me the blueprint for what I have to do to play at this level,” he said. “In high school, college and now in the NFL, I do everything I can one step at a time. All of those tiny details add up and become habitual.”
The 25-year-old’s story cannot be told without his twin brother, Tristin McCollum, who was also a four-year starter in SHSU’s defensive backfield and is currently a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. In January, the Buccaneers hosted the Eagles in the Wildcard Round of the NFL Playoffs, pitting brother against brother in what Zyon described as a surreal experience for both Bearkats.
“It was a dream come true,” McCollum said. “It was something Tristin and I have been talking about ever since elementary school. It reminded us of everything we have worked for our entire lives. I wanted to impress him, and he wanted to impress me, which made us go even harder.”
The brothers even lined up across from one another on a pair of special teams plays during the matchup. In the end, Zyon’s side got the last laugh when the Buccaneers defeated the Eagles 32-9, but their teams will meet again this season in Tampa Bay on Sept. 29.
“We got the upper hand on him last year and he wants payback, but we aren’t going to let that happen,” McCollum said.
It was the fierce bond between the two that ultimately led the defensive duo to Bowers Stadium. Both brothers had originally committed to play at the University of Utah, but backed out when the school wanted to redshirt Tristin following a minor injury.
“We were adamant on coming in and playing together,” Zyon said. “Sam Houston was the first school to offer us. They wanted us both, and they wanted us both to play immediately. We ended up going to Huntsville on an official visit and loved it. They had a family atmosphere and we felt at home right away. The rest is history.”
Keeler and his staff had their eyes on the twins early on after watching them perform at a high school football camp hosted by the Bearkats.
“Zyon and Tristin both came from a small high school and had such raw ability,” Keeler said. “They got a chance to play a lot of football early. Because they were able to get on the field a little quicker here, they were able to grow, get better and put themselves in a position to compete in the NFL.”
The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the 2020 championship campaign, which would have been their final seasons, back into the spring of 2021. Due to NCAA rules, the unprecedented season did not count from an eligibility standpoint, meaning the brothers each played five years at SHSU without being redshirted. Keeler believes this extra time in college went a long way in terms of raising their games to another level, as did their attitudes on and off the field.
“The type of people both of them are is such a testament to how great a job their mother did raising them,” he said.
That growth continues to pay dividends as Zyon McCollum prepares for his first season as an NFL starter. He admits his approach has gotten more and more detailed and that the game has slowed down for him tremendously since he was a rookie.
“Now that I’ve been through it for two years, I kind of know what to expect,” he said. “But at the same time, I will never stop doing the things that have made me successful and put me in this position.”
Zyon and the Buccaneers battle the Commanders at 3:25 p.m. central time on Sunday in Tampa.
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