Collier decommits from Illinois

Illinois lost one of its top defensive recruits in the class of 2017 when cornerback Antwan Collier decommitted from the Illini on Sunday. Collier was expected to compete for playing time right away next season.

Collier, a 3-star prospect from Miami (Fla.) Southridge, maintains that Illinois will continue to be in his top group of schools. He holds offers from Maryland, Mississippi St., Nebraska, Louisville, and others, and is getting heavy interest from Miami (Fla.).

With loss of Collier, Illinois now has 11 committed prospects in the class of 2017. The class is currently ranked No. 11 in the Big Ten by Rivals.com.

St. Louis product Tony Adams, who sat out most of his senior season with a knee injury, is the lone defensive back in class.

llinois will likely try to add two more cornerbacks prior to signing day in February.

Some potential targets include Quran Hafiz from Jacksonville (Fla.) Sandalwood, JUCO product Keisean Nixon, and Juawan Treadwell from Crete-Monee (Ill.). Illinois could also take a second look at Western Michigan commit Marcus Hayes from Rockford (Ill.) Lutheran, who camped with the Illini this summer and had a good showing.