Illinois Football: Illini looking at the JUCO level with recent offer

Illinois football was still offering scholarships the day before they took down the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

The future is always being built in the Bret Bielema era. There are no off days. This Illini coaching staff has done a great job of putting together a solid 2022 class thus far. But the future isn’t just built with freshmen. The junior college market is always a great place to snag talent.

On Friday, Illinois eyed the JUCO level with an offer to Keionte Scott. Scott is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound cornerback from Snow College and resides in Ephraim, Utah. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but clearly, there is a ton of talent based on his scholarship offers. In addition to the Illinois offer, Scott has roughly 12 other offers on the table with some of the bigger names being Oregon, Arizona, and BYU.

What would Scott bring to the Illinois football program?

I want to start by pointing out his size. Scott stands at 6-foot-2, 185-pounds, which is a massive cornerback. His size alone is a huge reason why he would be a great addition to any team he chooses. It is rare to find that big of a cornerback at the college level.

Beyond his physical size, Scott also brings an aggressive game to the table. This is something that I love. He isn’t afraid to get in the grill of the wide receiver. While it may cause a pass interference penalty every once in a while, I want an aggressive defensive back. Scott would cause headaches for opposing wide receivers.

The style of Scott reminds me a lot of when Richard Sherman was in his prime. He would play physically and get into the heads of the offensive players. I think Scott’s game is very similar to that style.

If Illinois could snag a player like Scott, the quality of play of the defense would increase tremendously. He would be a great addition to the class of 2022.