2021 Football Roster
Jersey Number 6
Tony Adams
- Position:
- DB
- Class:
- Senior
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 205
- Hometown:
- Belleville, Ill.
- High School:
- St. Louis University HS
2021 Senior
- 63 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, one interception, and five pass breakups on the season
- Second on the team with 47 solo tackles
- Third on the team with 63 tackles
- Tied for third on the team with five pass breakups
- Six tackles and 1.0 TFL for three yards in Illinois' 9OT upset over No. 7 Penn State
- Five tackles including 0.5 TFL against Charlotte 10/2/21
- Interception against Purdue 9/25/21
- 1.0 TFL and one PBU against Virginia 9/11/21
- Phil Steele Preseason All-Big Ten fourth team
2020 Senior
- Played and started six games at defensive back
- Missed the final two games of the season due to COVID-19 protocols
- Interception returned 23 yards in Illinois' win at Nebraska 11/21/20
- Graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in political science
2019 Junior
- Played and started 10 games at defensive back
- Missed three games with injuries
- 39 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, two interceptions on the season
- First Illini with interceptions in back-to-back Big Ten games since Vontae Davis and Kevin Mitchell both did it against Penn State and Wisconsin in 2007
- Interception returned for 13 yards for a touchdown at Purdue 10/26/19, the first touchdown of his career
- Fourth-quarter interception vs. No. 6 Wisconsin 10/19/19 led to Illinois' game-winning field goal in one of the biggest upsets in Big Ten history
- Career-high 2.0 TFLs at UConn before leaving the game with an injury in the second half
2018 Sophomore
- Played eight games with seven total starts, five starts at safety and two starts at corner
- Switched from corner to safety during the season
- 43 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 1.0 sack, 4 PBUs and 1 INT on the season
- Third on team in PBUs (4) and sixth in tackles (43)
- Second career interception at Nebraska 11/10/18
- Career highs in tackles (10), TFLs (1.0), sacks (1.0) and PBUs (3) against Minnesota 11/3/18
- Missed four games with injuries
- Academic All-Big Ten
2017 Freshman
- Played in five games with two starts at cornerback
- Missed the last seven games with an injury
- Eight tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1.0 sack, one interception on season
- Played both corner and nickel
- First career interception and sack at South Florida
- Career-high four tackles against Ball State
- First Illini true freshman cornerback to start the season opener since Vontae Davis in 2006 against Eastern Illinois
High School
- Three-star recruit by 247Sports, Rivals, ESPN and Scout
- Ranked No. 81 defensive back in the nation by Scout
- Ranked No. 130 WR in nation by 247Sports
- Ranked No. 6 recruit in Missouri by 247Sports, No. 7 by ESPN and No. 10 by Rivals
- High school coach was Gary Kornfeld
Personal
- Born Jan. 24, 1999
- Listed Kobe Bryant as his favorite athlete because, “of his mindset and his work ethic.”
- Graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science in December 2020
- Majoring in communication (second bachelor's)
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