Illinois Football: Samari Collier reconfirms commitment to the Illini

Illinois football has seen a carousel of quarterbacks this year due to COVID-19 testing and trace testing.

Thankfully, the Illini coaching staff has loaded up on quarterback talent where we can bring in a solid leader to man the offense behind center. Illinois has another solid quarterback coming in from the class of 2021 in Samari Collier as well.

As of December 7, Collier will have been committed to the Illini for a full year. With a recent recruit backing away from his commitment, this made some Illinois fans nervous about the potential of losing their quarterback of the future.

The Writing Illini chatted with Collier about his commitment to the Illini, and if he was fully committed to the program.

“Yes, I am.”

Collier is fully committed to the Illini and with the early national signing day approaching, the young DeSoto dual-threat quarterback says he will most likely sign in December.

This news has to make Illinois fans happy. Landing Collier was a pretty big deal back in December 2019, and his legend has continued to grow ever since. After throwing for 2,367 yards, 30 touchdowns and 8 interceptions to go along with his 445 yards on the ground as a junior, Collier has come back for his final year and continued to impress.

In this weird COVID-19 campaign, Collier has managed to be the heart and soul of a DeSoto team that ranks No. 4 in the state of Texas and No. 32 in the nation. Through the air, Collier has 1,301 yards, 14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. On the ground, he has 435 yards and 4 touchdowns, both of which leads his team.

With three games left of the regular season, Collier is in a position to take his 5-1 DeSoto team deep into the playoffs. If his play continues at a high level, there is no stopping this team from reaching the ultimate goal of a state title.

It doesn’t come as a wonder that Collier is putting up such great numbers. Growing up a Dallas Cowboys fan, this kid knows football. But his abilities at other positions and who he modeled his game after has really helped him get to this point.

“You know, growing up as a kid and playing wide receiver and running back has helped a lot. I watched Cam Newton and Kyler Murray.”

Those are two great players to model your game after. Newton, a quarterback who led his team to the Super Bowl, and Murray who is on track to potentially win the MVP in 2020. This future Illinois quarterback has his eyes set on greatness and nothing short of that.