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Illinois Football: Illini landing Samari Collier is huge for multiple reasons

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois football Helmut rests on a post during a Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL. Purdue won, 46-7. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 13: An Illinois football Helmut rests on a post during a Big Ten Conference college football game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the Illinois Fighting Illini on October 13, 2018, at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, IL. Purdue won, 46-7. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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This weekend went extremely well for the future of the Illinois football program.

Some people may have been expecting just class of 2020 recruits to commit to the program because it was official visit weekend. But that wasn’t the case at all. Illinois was actually able to land the first class of 2021 pledge when Samari Collier decided to commit to the Illini.

Collier is a 6-foot-3, 210-pound quarterback from DeSoto High School in DeSoto, Texas. He is rated as a three-star recruit who is the No. 897 player in the class of 2021 and the No. 26 dual-threat quarterback in the nation. He is also the No. 113 player in the state of Texas.

There aren’t a lot of scholarship offers in for Collier right now. I believe Illinois and New Mexico State are the only two. But this kid will continue to rack up a bunch of offers over the next couple of years. It will be on the Illinois coaching staff to continue to communicate with Collier on him being the future of this program.


Collier committing to Illinois is big for multiple reasons. The first one I want to point out is the presence in the state of Texas. There are a tremendous number of players who are talented in this state. The No. 100 player in the state of Texas is probably better than the No. 10 player from the state of Indiana. That is how much talent there is in the Lone Star State.

Another reason this is a huge commitment is the pure fact Collier provides depth to the Illinois quarterbacks corps. In 2020, Illinois will have Brandon Peters (senior) as the starter with Isaiah Williams (sophomore) backing him up most likely. Incoming 2020 commit CJ Dixon will then redshirt his first year.

When 2021 rolls around, I would imagine Williams (junior) is the starter with Matt Robinson (junior) or CJ Dixon (Freshman) as the backup. This would give Collier time to redshirt his first season with the program. That would be greatly beneficial to him and his future.

The final note I want to mention is the fact Collier is a superstar player. That is a reason this commitment is big for the Illini. This kid isn’t just a one-dimensional recruit. He is a quarterback who throws the ball well, but he can also run the ball. He is a dual-threat quarterback to its truest form.

Next. 3 observations from the Illini loss to Maryland. dark

I love this get by the Illini. The Illinois coaching staff continues to work the state of Texas well. Getting Collier builds for the future. I can’t wait to see how high this program can go.

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