2021 Safety Corey Collier Jr. Talks Recruitment, Compares Himself to NFL Superstar
Every day is a new day in highly-rated 2021 Miami Palmetto (Fla.) safety Corey Collier Jr.'s recruitment.
He'll tell you as much. Florida is a top school of interest for the 6-2, 170 lb. star defensive back from South Florida, but with the Clemson Tigers hitting his line as well, Collier plans on taking his time to let things play out.
"It goes back and forth a lot," Collier told the media following his junior day visit to Florida. "They might be the two schools that I decide between on signing day."
Though, the Gators made a great impression on the ball-hawking safety. Appealed to the academics Florida can provide, the legacy of the program, and the thought of early playing time, Collier won't soon forget the experience he had with his family at UF on Saturday.
"This day, by itself, kind of just boosted Florida," Collier continued before mentioning his family's takeaways from the visit. "They said they're convinced too, more convinced about Florida, so that's good for me and them to be on the same page."
Florida signed two safeties in the class of 2020, bringing in Marietta's (Ga.) Rashad Torrence II and St. John's College High School's (Washington D.C.) Mordecai McDaniel. Though, the Gators missed out on the top-of-the-board, in-state safety Avantae Williams in a signing-day shootout with Miami.
Williams is an extremely fluid and instinctual safety who can track and snatch the ball out of mid-air, paired with elite athleticism and physicality. Prospects like him are what Florida has been missing on their backend for a while. Thus, locking up Collier is a priority for head coach Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators staff.
Collier told AllGators that he prides himself on similar skills.
"I can tackle, I'm a very good tackler," Collier said. "I'm a ballhawk, I can get sideline-to-sideline fast. Those are just a few things I can do."
Which, can be seen in his stat-line. Collier recorded 52 tackles, including four for loss, four interceptions, and 13 pass breakups at both safety and cornerback during his junior season at Palmetto.
Collier presented an NFL comparison of his own when asked if there were any players in particular that he molds his game after.
"Jamal Adams," the starting and 2019 First-Team All-Pro strong safety for the New York Jets, said Collier. "I like how he's very physical and I compare myself to him."
Collier also noted that he appreciates Kansas City Chiefs' free safety Tyrann Mathieu's "eye for the ball", and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey as an "all-around shutdown corner".
"I just take little notes from them and put them to my game."