3-star athlete Adams pledges to Illinois
3-star athlete Tony Adams from St. Louis (MO) University High School has pledged to Lovie Smith and the Fighting Illini.
His recruitment came down to the last day, with Adams ultimately picking Illinois over Missouri. The bond that he built over the last few months with assistant coach Thad Ward was a deciding factor.
“The biggest thing was Coach Thad, and our relationship,” Adams said. “Out of all the people that were recruiting me, the relationship was closer than anybody. I’m not a person that usually talks to people. I like to keep to myself. But he kind of got me out of that zone.”
OrangeandBlueNews.com had Adams slotted on our Block I Report, a breakdown of the top prospects in the Illinois recruiting board.
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Illinois offered Adams after his strong performance at their satellite camp in St. Louis in June and have been hot after him since. He’s a versatile athlete with explosive speed and the ability contribute in the return game.
In high school, Adams has played mostly wide receiver. The Illini recruited him to play defensive back. Adams said he couldn’t pass up a chance to play at the school that he grew up rooting for.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I dreamed of playing for the home school,” Adams said. “I always wanted to go to Illinois, so this was big for me. This is huge.”
The commitment is a weight off of his shoulders, according to Adams.
“I’m so happy,” he said. “The recruiting process was stressful deciding between the two. It took me until today to figure this out. It was crazy. But I’m glad to get it out of the way, and I can focus on my team.”
Now that he’s in the fold, Adams said he wants to get up to Champaign again soon.
“I want to go see them practice, meet some other kids who are committed, and get this show in the road,” Adams said.
Adams is commitment No. 8 for the Illini in the class of 2017. He joins Florida prospect Antwan Collier as the second defensive back in the class.
