Illinois Football: 2022 athlete Xavier Scott picks the Illini

Bret Bielema added another member to the Illinois football class of 2022 on Monday afternoon.

Just yesterday, the Illini added tight end, Naivyan Cargill, to the program. He is a big target from Florida. Well, Illinois wasn’t done picking up commitments from the Sunshine State.

On Monday afternoon, Xavier Scott announced his commitment to the Illinois football team. Just about a week after a Crystal Ball Prediction was submitted in favor of the Illini, Scott decided to end his recruitment and pick the Orange and Blue.

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 Scott did have offers from teams like Pittsburgh, Florida Atlantic, and Air Force.

Illinois football continues to add playmakers to the class of 2022.

It is nice to see Illinois continuing to add freshmen faces to the roster. I wanted a big haul of young talent to come into the program to give us a solid foundation for years to come.

Scott is going to have a few years to learn the system and develop as a playmaker. He also plays multiple positions at the high school level, so that gives Bielema and his coaching staff more flexibility.

I also like the fact Illinois has roots in Florida. With the coaching turnover, those connections could have gotten lost. But snagging back-to-back players from Florida is exciting to see.

Illinois now has 26 players committed for 2022. 24 of those commitments are freshmen, two commitments are from the junior college ranks, and then Illinois has two transfers coming into the program for a total of 28 newcomers to the Illini.

This is a new era of Illinois football. Bielema has the Illini building, and it is exciting to see. Hopefully, we can start strengthening the team foundation this season.