Collier accepted a football scholarship from the University of Southern Mississippi under head coach Bobby Collins, who was using the veer offense and promised him that he could play quarterback.
He finished with a 9-2-1 record, was ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting and helped the school achieve its highest Associated Press ranking ever (No.
In 2000, he was inducted into the USM Athletic Hall of Fame and was selected along with Brett Favre, to the Southern Miss Team of the Century.
Collier was selected by the Birmingham Stallions of the United States Football League in the first round (third overall) of the 1983 USFL Draft.
[4] On January 12, 1984, the team signed quarterback Cliff Stoudt and traded Collier to the Washington Federals in exchange for a number one draft choice (#1 Jerry Rice) and the rights to center Joel Hilgenberg.
In 1984, he was being platooned with Mike Hohensee during the pre-season, until he was relegated to the backup position after the opening game of the season.
The owner chose not to retain Howard Schnellenberger and asked Lee Corso to take over as the head coach.
He would name Collier the starter at quarterback in the fifth game of the season, after being limited with a finger injury early in the year.
On May 23, 1986, he signed a four-year contract, which was a transaction that was overshadowed by the acquisition of running back Herschel Walker.
The team accommodated Collier expecting that he could develop and refine his skills, but it was perceived that he never practiced or prepared diligently enough.
[7] On November 23, down 41-7 against the Washington Redskins, Collier was sent in the fourth quarter with 8 minutes to play, helped the offense score 7 points and ran out of time while looking for a possible second touchdown.
[8] In the season finale against the defending Super Bowl Champions the Chicago Bears, he became the first African American quarterback to start in franchise history.