Alexander Hollins (born November 24, 1996) is an unrestricted free agent American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He played college football for

Eastern Illinois Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradual ...

. Hollins has played for the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, and

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

Early life

Hollins grew up in

Yazoo City, Mississippi Yazoo City is the county seat of Yazoo County, Mississippi, Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in referen ...

, and attended

Yazoo County High School Yazoo County High School (YCHS) is a public high school in unincorporated Yazoo County, Mississippi, near Yazoo City. It is a part of the Yazoo County School District. It serves all areas of Yazoo County not in the city limits of Yazoo City. ...

. As a senior, he had 64 receptions for 1,346 yards and 15 touchdowns.

College career

Hollins began his collegiate career at

Copiah–Lincoln Community College Copiah–Lincoln Community College (Co–Lin) is a public community college with its main campus in Wesson, Mississippi. The Co–Lin District serves a seven-county area including Adams County, Mississippi, Adams, Copiah County, Mississippi, Copi ...

. He caught 11 passes for 214 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore before transferring to

Eastern Illinois University Eastern Illinois University (EIU) is a public university in Charleston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1895 as the Eastern Illinois State Normal School, a teacher's college offering a two-year degree, Eastern Illinois University gradual ...

for the final two years of his NCAA eligibility. In his first season with the Panthers, Hollins led the team with 47 receptions for 694 yards and seven touchdowns. As a senior, he caught 80 passes for 1,102 yards and 16 touchdowns and was named first-team All-

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in partnership with ...

. Hollins had 127 receptions, 1,796 yards and 23 touchdowns in 22 games at Eastern Illinois.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Hollins signed with the

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

on April 29, 2019. He was waived by the team at the end of training camp during final roster cuts. Hollins was re-signed by the Vikings to their practice squad on September 12, 2019. Hollins was promoted to the Vikings active roster on December 2, 2019. Hollins played in four games as a rookie and caught two passes for 46 yards in the Vikings' final regular season game against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

. Hollins was waived by the Vikings on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.

Cleveland Browns

Hollins was signed off the Vikings' practice squad to the

' active roster on December 28, 2020. The Browns waived Hollins on August 23, 2021. He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 15, 2021. The Browns waived Hollins off their practice squad on December 21, 2021.

BC Lions

Hollins signed with the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL) on March 1, 2022. He made his CFL debut on October 8, 2022, where he had three catches for 47 yards and one touchdown against the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team based in Toronto, Ontario. The Argonauts compete in the East Division (CFL), East Division of t ...

. He played and started in four regular season games where he had 13 receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown. He made his post-season debut in the West Semi-Final victory over the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium a ...

and played in playoff games, recording eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. In

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

, Hollins won a starting role in training camp and had a breakout season. He played and started in all 18 regular season games where he had 78 catches for 1,173 yards and nine touchdowns. At season's end, he was named a CFL West All-Star. In the first six games of the 2024 season, Hollins had 38 receptions for 656 yards and four touchdowns. However, following an injury and demotion of quarterback

Vernon Adams Vernon Anthony Adams Jr. (born January 3, 1993) is an American professional Canadian football, football quarterback for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Eastern Washington Eagles fo ...

, Hollins struggled to maintain his outstanding production and finished the season with 61 catches for 937 yards and six touchdowns in 16 games played. In the West Semi-Final, he had two receptions for 16 yards. With one year remaining on his contract, he was released on January 30, 2025.

Edmonton Elks

On April 28, 2025, it was announced that Hollins had signed with the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

. However, he was released on June 1, 2025.

References

External links

Edmonton Elks bioEastern Illinois Panthers bioMinnesota Vikings bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollins, Alexander 1996 births Living people American football wide receivers Minnesota Vikings players Cleveland Browns players BC Lions players Players of American football from Mississippi Eastern Illinois Panthers football players Copiah–Lincoln Wolves football players People from Yazoo County, Mississippi Canadian football wide receivers Players of Canadian football from Mississippi Edmonton Elks players