Illinois Football: Illini lose depth at the quarterback position

Illinois football lost a member of the family to the transfer portal on Saturday afternoon.

It is never fun losing someone to transfer. The Illini have benefited plenty from the portal, though. The likely starting quarterback this year, Tommy DeVito, made it to Champaign from Syracuse. His transfer into the program is going to help the Orange and Blue tremendously.

But the transfer portal has struck us in a negative way this weekend. On Saturday, quarterback Samari Collier posted on his Twitter account that he has decided to transfer away from the Illinois football team.

Collier’s Twitter post reads…

"“I would like to give a thanks to Coach Lovie Smith and Coach Stocker for giving me the opportunity to attend the University of Illinois as a Student-athlete. I enjoyed my time at Illinois and I have formed great relationships with the coaches, teammates, and the fans. Thank you Coach Bielema and Coach Lunney for allowing me to be part of the team. With Careful consideration I have decided to enter my name in the transfer portal with 4 years of eligibility. I wish nothing but the best for everyone in Champaign, IL. #ForeverLana”"

Former Illinois football quarterback Samari Collier still has a bright future.

It pains me that Collier is departing the Illinois program because I think this kid has a ton of talent. I am not shocked in any way that he is leaving, but I am sad that we didn’t get to see him really display his talents on the field.

Coming out of DeSoto High School, I thought Collier was going to be the next great dual-threat quarterback. His arm was better than his legs, and that is what piqued my interest. This kid has a cannon for an arm.

Sadly, we will never get to see Collier develop. I would imagine his next stop might be closer to home. No matter what, though, I will be rooting for him to succeed. Collier has a bright future ahead.