Kaitlan Collins once again pulled double duty this week, both as CNN’s chief White House correspondent and now, officially, the network’s “Chief Alabama Football Analyst.”
CNN anchor John Berman, a New England Patriots fan, said during a Wednesday segment about the COVID vaccine impacting NFL roster cuts that the biggest story in his life right now is that former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones was named starter this week, with the team releasing former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, and he needed info on his new QB1.
Collins, a University of Alabama alumnae and die-hard Crimson Tide football fan, obliged him.
“I think this going to be amazing,” Collins said about the news. “But I think also we should look at how this played a role, how good Mac Jones has been while Cam Newton was not able to be there. It really helped him get more reps. He was really standout, and I don’t think that’s something that can be ignored.
Collins referred to Newton’s absence from practice last week due to COVID-19 protocols, which gave Jones an opportunity to lead the first-team offense in his absence.
Berman then pressed Collins for more intel on Jones. “What I need to know from you, because you are an expert on Alabama football, is how good is he going to be?”
“He’s going to be really good,” she said. “You can never predict these things, of course. This is really up in the air when it comes to watching how they’re going to actually be in the season. Things can change. But he has looked so good in the preseason, consistently every day he’s really been standout. I don’t think it’s that surprising. I think he’s a safe bet for you. And I don’t think I’ve ever led you wrong on this.”
Berman conceded Collins has never led him astray on Alabama football, but merely said he’s willing to “fall in love” with Jones and only wanted to know if he would one day regret it. She reassured him, “I think Alabama players are normally a safe bet.”
Watch the exchange in the video above.
This isn’t the first time Berman put Collins’ football knowledge on the spot during a segment. In May, he solicited her draft grades for the New England Patriots’ picks from her beloved Alabama football squad, Mac Jones and Christian Barmore, who went in the first and second round, respectively.
“You’re the biggest Alabama Crimson Tide fan that I know,” Berman said, nothing the Patriots’ first two picks were Jones and Barmore. “How would you assess these picks Kaitlan?”
Collins didn’t blink.
“I think they’re going to be great,” Collins said. “I think Mac Jones is obviously pretty well-known. I think everyone is laughing at the photo when he got drafted of him compared to when the Patriots drafted Tom Brady, comparing the two of them. I think he’s going to be really talented.
“And Christian Barmore, of course, is also really impressive. He was key to Alabama’s amazing defense this year and our national championship, which if you missed that, Alabama did win the national championship this year.”
Collins said Alabama’s 10 draft picks last weekend speaks to how impressive the state of Alabama’s program is in 2021, thanks in large part to the relationship between coaches and friends Nick Saban and Bill Belichick.
“Someone joked that Alabama was like a breeding ground for the NFL, but you always see this pipeline to your team the Patriots,” Collins said, speaking to Berman. “It’s this relationship with Nick Saban and Bill Belichick. It’s just so interesting to see how he really does rely on Saban who, of course, has experience with the NFL, to talk about what these players would be like, how he thinks they would be going from the college level to the professional level. And I think it’s awesome to watch, to see them go from one coach that has this stoic mindset to another coach that has a similar one.”
Collins said she’s excited to watch them all new draft picks play in the upcoming season.
“Not just those, but all of the Alabama players who went into the draft this week,” she said. “I think it’s 10 total, which is pretty amazing.”
“The most important analysis you will give,” Berman said, noting he appreciated the help and guidance she gave ahead of the draft last week.
She even ended with a shout-out to both teams: “Yes, Roll Patriots.”
In January, Collins was named CNN’s chief White House correspondent, replacing Jim Acosta who now serves as anchor and chief domestic correspondent.
Collins joined the network in 2017, covering the Trump White House and quickly rising to the top of her field. Collins is from Prattville and is a graduate of the University of Alabama.
At 29, she reports in a time where the relationship between the national media and this administration remains volatile, sometimes finding her network and even herself at the center of it. In 2018, the White House banned Collins from a Rose Garden event after she asked President Donald Trump questions during the photo op. In May 2020, Trump abruptly ended a press conference after he attempted to bypass Collins during a presser when she allowed CBS reporter Weijia Jiang to follow-up on a tense exchange.
RELATED: Kaitlan Collins held White House accountable in 2020, against all odds
She spoke to AL.com last year about covering the White House during the COVID-19 pandemic, racial unrest in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death and other events that during a tumultuous 2020. We asked how she deals with shifting storylines like that in a breaking news cycle, where she made so much progress covering one global topic while immediately dropping it to move on to reporting something so brand new that captures the nation by storm.
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Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s ‘chief Alabama football analyst’, reassures colleague about Mac Jones - AL.com
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