Illinois Football: Illini pick up 2 Crystal Ball Predictions for 2022

It looks like Bret Bielema isn’t done adding to the Illinois football class of 2022.

The Illini have quite the haul right now for the 2022 class. We rank No. 45 in the country and have nine top 1000 recruits coming into the program. With 24 players signed up, Bielema is trying to squeeze a couple more talented players into the mix.

Over the past couple of days, the Illini have picked up a Crystal Ball Prediction for two class of 2022 recruits. Jeremy Werner of 247Sports has Illinois landing Xavier Scott with a confidence of eight out of 10. He also has the Illini landing Noah Matthews with a confidence of seven out of 10.

Illinois football would be bolstering the defense with these two additions.

The first of the two additions would hopefully be Scott. His Crystal Ball was submitted on Tuesday, so hopefully, this is a commitment that happens fairly soon.

Scott is a 6-foot, 180-pound athlete from Dwyer High School and resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He isn’t rated or ranked by 247Sports, but his offer list is pretty solid. Some of the bigger programs wanting Scott on their roster include the likes of Pittsburgh, Navy, and Air Force.

Illinois would most likely bring Scott in as a defensive back. His abilities look promising. Scott is extremely athletic and knows both sides of the ball. That will help with being a defensive back. He knows wide receiver routes and tendencies.

It looks like Scott played cornerback at the high school level. I honestly believe his great vision on the field, mixed in with his athletic ability, would make for a good safety at the college level. I wouldn’t be shocked to see a move to safety sometime in the first couple of years.

The second Crystal Ball was for Matthews on Wednesday. Matthews is a 6-foot-6, 260-pound defensive lineman from Woodbridge High School and resides in Bridgeville, Delaware. He isn’t rated or ranked either.

Matthews was a force on his high school football team. He physically dominated everyone he faced. He can blow through an offensive line without a problem. Matthews’ speed is also a huge attribute to his talent. He can fly around the field, which is impressive at his size. I am surprised he has just five scholarship offers. This kid has the framework to be a really good college football player.

It is exciting that Illinois received two Crystal Ball Predictions in the past two days. Bielema is building something special in Champaign.