An example fiber control collar is provided. The fiber control collar includes a body, an opening, and a protrusion. The body includes a front surface and an opposing rear surface. The opening is formed in and extends through the body from the front surface to the rear surface. The protrusion extends from the front surface. The fiber control collar is configured to be positioned within a complementary hollow section of a connector backshell component to maintain fibers of a fiber optic cable away from pinch points during assembly of the fiber optic connector.