corey collier – Syndication Server

This Gators redshirt freshman safety enters NCAA transfer portal

Ahead of the opening of the NCAA transfer portal, the redshirt freshman safety made it clear he’s heading out of town.

Ahead of the opening of the NCAA transfer portal on Monday, Florida football redshirt freshman safety [autotag]Corey Collier Jr[/autotag]. announced his intentions to enter the de facto free agency system on Sunday via his personal Twitter account.

The 6-foot-1-inch, 179-pound defensive back out of Miami (Florida) Palmetto came to Gainesville as a four-star recruit ranked No. 6 nationally by the 247Sports composite in 2021. Primarily recruited by quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray, Collier chose the Gators over the Clemson Tigers, Virginia Cavaliers, Baylor Bears and Florida State Seminoles, among many others.

The young student-athlete offered the following to Gators fans on his personal Twitter account Sunday afternoon.

💙 pic.twitter.com/uLVcRX2LCr

— Corey Collier Jr. (@_ccollierjr2) December 4, 2022

Collier appeared in six total games during his time with the Orange and Blue, seeing action in two games during his 2021 redshirt season before playing in four games in 2022, appearing mostly on special teams. He recorded one tackle over the course of two years of collegiate football against the Eastern Washington Eagles this fall.

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2022 Florida Football Season Preview: Safeties

Three returning starters headline the safeties group at Florida in 2022, but there’s a good amount of young talent behind them to be excited about.

Rounding out the defense in Gators Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the 2022 Florida football roster are the safeties.

Florida’s scheme calls for five defensive backs and utilizes the nickelback position, which they call the STAR. Fortunately, the Gators return starters at all three positions in 2022. [autotag]Trey Dean III[/autotag] and [autotag]Rashad Torrence II[/autotag] are back to man the safety spots, and [autotag]Tre’Vez Johnson[/autotag] is at the STAR.

Behind them are a group of relatively young and inexperienced players, some of which could take a huge step over the season if they see enough snaps. At the top of that list might be [autotag]Kamari Wilson[/autotag], the surprise five-star signing that Billy Napier pulled off during the early signing period last year.

This should be one of the stronger position groups on the team this year given the returning experience in the room. Here is a look at all 13 safeties on the 2022 Florida football fall roster.

Pair of praised Palmetto prep players sign with Florida Gators

Florida Gators football welcomes two blue-chip prospects from Palmetto High School: cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Corey Collier.

Florida has officially welcomed two blue-chip prospects from Palmetto High School in Miami on Wednesday, as cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. and safety Corey Collier signed their National Letters of Intent to play for the Gators.

Marshall is a five-star recruit and the No. 27 overall player in the nation, according to the 247Sports Composite. He’s the nation’s second-best corner, and at 6-foot-2-inches, 180 pounds, he has prototypical size for the position. He has excellent ball skills and athleticism, as he snagged five interceptions and broke up 15 passes as a junior.

Given Florida’s struggles at the corner position this season and depth question marks behind incumbent starter Kaiir Elam, Marshall has the chance to contribute immediately in a secondary starving for difference-makers.

Congrats, @jasonjr3_. 🐊 fam can’t wait to see you in The Swamp #ChompDown21 https://t.co/eLQ8zghAFG pic.twitter.com/8SQSGfrcUF

— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) December 16, 2020

NEXT: Corey Collier

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2021 Gators Football Recruiting Profile: Corey Collier

A four-star prospect himself, the 247Sports Composite rates Collier as the No. 3 safety in the class and a top-15 player in the state.

Name: Corey Collier

Position: Safety

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 170 lbs

Hometown: Miami, Fla.

High School: Palmetto High School

Twitter: @_ccollierjr2

247Sports Composite: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rivals.com: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overview:

Collier committed to the Florida Gators on August 10, one day after his Miami Palmetto Senior High School teammate, four-star cornerback Jason Marshall, Jr.

A four-star prospect himself, the 247Sports Composite rates Collier as the No. 3 safety in the class and a top-15 player in the state.

Primarily recruited by quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson, one of the Southeastern Conference’s (SEC) best on the trail, and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray, he chose the Gators over the Baylor Bears, Clemson Tigers, Virginia Cavaliers, Washington State Cougars, and 30 reported others.

Listed at 6-foot-2-inches and 170 pounds, Collier should continue to add muscle to his frame once he enters strength and conditioning coach Nick Savage’s program.

Although there seem to be some growing pains in his man coverage abilities on tape, he has shown the ability to take smart angles to the football while in the air and a willingness to help against the run.

The second-highest rated member in the class, trailing only Marshall, Collier is one of five defensive backs in the cycle for Florida, joining four-star Canonsburg, Pennsylvania safety Donovan McMillon and two three-stars, Winter Park safety Dakota Mitchell and Tampa cornerback Jordan Young.

Video:

Florida Gators in mix for three more 2021 top football prospects

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren released his latest predictions for the top remaining uncommitted prospects with UF making the cut for 3 of the names.

Currently consisting of 24 members, the Florida Gators’ 2021 recruiting class is ranked No. 6 in America and third-best in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), per the 247Sports Composite.

This grade is already the highest of any of the four classes compiled during head coach Dan Mullen’s tenure, and the program appears primed to add even more firepower to the group.

ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren released his latest predictions for five of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the cycle on August 26 (subscription required), with the Gators making the cut for three of the names.

According to VanHaaren, the player to watch is Vanguard (Ocala, Florida) four-star strong-side defensive end Bryce Langston, a teammate of fellow 2021 Florida commit Trevonte Rucker, a four-star wide receiver.

“Langston had been committed to Florida since 2018 but decommitted in 2019,” VanHaaren pointed out.

“That was a case in which a prospect made a decision too soon, backed off, but still had interest in the school. The Gators continued pursuing him, and Langston was able to visit campus before the dead period was put in place.

“The lack of any visits might help Florida get him in the end. Without the opportunity to take an actual visit and see a place like LSU in person for a game, that could make a big difference in any recruit’s process.”

Listed at 6-foot-2.5-inches and 250 pounds, Langston is the 247Sports Composite’s No. 11 player at his position in the class and a top-20 player in the state. Echoing VanHaaren’s prediction, the Gators hold all six of his Crystal Ball Predictions, including ones from Blake Alderman and Steve Wiltfong.

One of the other prospects Florida made the shortlist for was Robinson Secondary (Fairfax, Virginia) five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh.

NEXT: Read more

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In-state recruiting key for Florida’s growing momentum

That class formed the basis for much of the team’s dominance 2008-09, leading to a national championship and SEC title in the former season.

Despite earning double-digit wins in each of his first two seasons at the helm of the Florida football program, coach Dan Mullen has received criticism for his recruiting success (or lack thereof). The Gators have landed top-10 recruiting classes in 2019 and 2020, but those classes weren’t elite in terms of the rest of the SEC, falling fifth and sixth, respectively.

But in the last week, Mullen received pledges from a pair of Miami prospects and teammates at Palmetto High School — five-star cornerback Jason Marshall and four-star safety Corey Collier. Those two additions became the highest-rated prospects in the class on the 247Sports Composite, and they bumped UF’s class up to the No. 6 spot in the nation.

A major reason for Florida’s success in this recruiting cycle is its ability to keep top Floridian prospects in-state. Nineteen players in the 2021 class hail from the state, the most since Urban Meyer’s 2007 class.

That class featured Sunshine State prospects like the Pouncey twins, Major Wright, Ahmad Black and Chris Rainey. It formed the basis for much of the team’s dominance in 2008 and 2009, leading to a national championship and SEC title in the former season.

Recruiting the state is much harder than it was a decade ago, as top out-of-state programs like Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU all have made in-roads at high schools throughout the state. If Mullen begins to retain state talent at similar rates to what Meyer did in the late 2000s, it would bode well for the future of the UF program, which is still searching for its first conference title since 2008.

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Gators continue roll on football recruiting trail, add 4-star S Corey Collier

Collier is the No. 83 overall player in the cycle, No. 3 player at his position, and a top-15 player in the state per 247Sports Composite.

For the second-straight day, the Florida Gators added a Miami Palmetto Panther to their 2021 recruiting class, this time in the form of four-star safety Corey Collier.

Per the 247Sports Composite, Collier is the No. 83 overall player in the cycle, the No. 3 player at his position, and a top-15 player in the state.

Primarily recruited by quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson and cornerbacks coach Torrian Gray, Florida originally offered the standout defensive back on October 15, 2018, when he was just a sophomore.

He took an unofficial visit to Gainesville on June 13, 2019 — along with teammate Jason Marshall, a five-star cornerback who pledged to the Gators on Sunday — and returned to campus on March 7 for one of the program’s Junior Days.

Collier’s father, Cornelius, played cornerback for the Florida State Seminoles under legendary head coach Bobby Bowden from 1999-2002, a sign of athletic bloodlines.

Andrew Ivins, a Miami Hurricanes insider for 247Sports, projects Collier as a starter at the Power Five level, but one that may need a year or two to develop first.

“Long frame with long limbs that doesn’t appear to be anywhere near close to being fully physically developed as the body is still maturing,” Ivins began in his prospect breakdown.

“Should add muscle mass once in college strength program, which will make him more explosive. An intelligent defender with good ball skills that knows how to take the right angles.”

The 24^th commit in the Gators’ upcoming class, Collier is the fifth defensive back in the haul, joining Marshall, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania safety Donovan McMillon, Winter Park safety Dakota Mitchell, and Tampa cornerback Jordan Young.

McMillon, Mitchell, and Young are each listed as three-star recruits.

Overall, Collier is the second-highest rated commit in the group, trailing only Marshall.

With this latest addition, Florida’s 2021 class is now ranked No. 6 nationally and third-best in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), behind only Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide (No. 2 in America) and Jeremy Pruitt’s Tennessee Volunteers (No. 5).

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UGA football in 4-star Corey Collier’s top schools

The Georgia Bulldogs made Miami Palmetto defensive back Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools.

The Georgia Bulldogs made defensive back Corey Collier Jr.’s top schools. Collier Jr. is a four-star safety from Miami, Florida with good size. He plays high school football at Miami Palmetto. He’s not the only Miami Palmetto player receiving SEC recruiting attention. RB Brashard Smith de-committed from the Florida Gators recently.

Collier Jr. is one of the top rated DBs in the class of 2021. He announced his final top schools via Twitter:

Final 6.. 🤞🏾 pic.twitter.com/NOFki3tQR1

— ² (@_ccollierjr2) May 20, 2020

The four-star puts LSU, Georgia, Clemson, Miami, FSU, and Florida in is final six schools. Will UGA be able to vulture another talented player from Miami?

Georgia currently has seven commits in the class of 2021. Georgia’s recruiting in Florida is a part of a recent trend, where Miami, FSU, and Florida have been missing out on many elite in-state recruits. Instead, Georgia, Alabama, and Clemson have been taking a higher percentage of the elite Florida talent.

Can the Bulldogs continue the trend? Collier Jr. took Ohio State, Auburn, Penn State, and Syracuse out of his initial top schools.

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