While the Illinois football team is still trying to add some pieces this offseason, Thursday night proved to be huge for the program.
Bret Bielema has done a great job adding to the Illini roster. We have lost north of 20 players to the transfer portal, but Illinois has also brought in some key pieces to build out important position groupings.
One position that will see a big boost in 2026 is at cornerback. The transfer portal will help the situation, but on Thursday night, Illinois got the best news we could possibly get this offseason.
Xavier Scott took to social media to announce that he is running it back. He is coming back for one more season in Champaign.
This is massive news for the Illini. It is like we just landed one of the best players out of the transfer portal, but it was a homegrown player.
Scott has spent four seasons in Champaign, with his 2025 campaign ending way too soon due to injury. He only played three games for the Illini this past season, and in 39 games with the program, he has amassed 137 tackles, six interceptions, 3.5 tackles for loss, and one sack.
Illinois football fans should love what the program has done this offseason with the cornerback position
I was not a fan of the Illini secondary in 2025. We got torched a lot, and it had to do with Scott being down for the year.
Scott's return means Illinois gets back their highest-rated cornerback from last year’s squad. But this addition goes beyond just Scott returning.
Illinois has built around Scott, too. We added Deuce Fillmore out of the transfer portal. He saw 498 snaps last season and actually graded out better than Scott. The Illini are likely to return Tanner Heckel and Juice Clarke, too. They know the defensive calls and will provide depth.
The incoming talent from the class of 2026 could be pretty special for the program. Nick Hankins is a four-star and the No. 124 player in the 2026 class. Illinois is also bringing in Jakwon Morris, the top junior college cornerback.
Illinois’ offseason started a bit slow, but we are building momentum right now. Thursday proved to be a huge day for the Orange and Blue. We just got back one of the best cornerbacks in college football.