Collins Ukwu, a former standout player at Kentucky, is in his first year as a defensive graduate assistant on the Georgia State football staff.

He originally joined the GSU program in 2015 as a football operations intern.

Ukwu was a three-year starter and four-year letterwinner (2009-12) at defensive end for the Wildcats, serving as a team captain as a senior. Following his career at UK, he signed a rookie free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings and then inked a deal with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League but suffered a career-ending injury.

Before coming to Georgia State, he worked in football operations at Overton (Tenn.) High School.

A native of Nashville, Tenn., Ukwu earned his bachelor's degree community leadership and development from Kentucky in 2012.