Landon Collins bleeds Crimson, and ever since he went against his mother’s wishes for him to attend LSU out of high school, Collins has been destined to play in the NFL.

Collins, TJ Yeldon and Amari Cooper all made it official Friday that they are heading to the NFL Draft, and with it, all three will leave many memories and lasting impacts at Alabama.

Collins took to Instagram to leave Alabama fans, coaches and teammates a heartfelt letter to explain what a tough decision he’s been faced with and just how much he loves the university.

Here’s Collins’ version, unedited and written by him via Instagram:

“I can’t put into words what these past three years have meant to me not only in my development as a football player but even more importantly as a man. I came in as a 18 year old boy who wanted nothing more than to play for Coach Saban and wear the prestigious “A” on my helmet. Coach Saban along with all the other coaches at Bama have not only mentored me on the field but also showed me the tools I would need to succeed in life outside of football. Hard work, dedication and discipline are not only words in a dictionary but the actual way of life taught to me during my time at the University of Alabama. I can honestly say I am a better man after spending the last 3 years in Tuscaloosa.

Now that the time as come for me to take the next step in my journey I will dearly miss all my teammates who I sweat, cried and laughed with. I have no doubt it is true when they say the best time of your life is when you are playing college football and I wouldn’t have picked a different group of guys to spend that time with.

Lastly but certainly not least I want to thank all the Roll Tide fans that took a young man from New Orleans and took him in as one of their own. I fed off the passion you all showed every Saturday at the games and can’t start to thank you for enough being the BEST FANS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL!

Thank you all,

Landon Collins

#RollTide4Life

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