Xavier Scott adding to his rapidly rising Illinois football stock

The incredible work Bret Bielema has done with the Illinois football roster has not gone unnoticed over the last few years.

From where the Illini were to where we are now as a program is a complete transformation. This program didn’t have depth, we barely had quality talent, and the coaching staff wasn’t able to put a solid run together.

That all changed with Bielema at the helm. Not only is it nice to have a competent college coach, but Bielema and his coaching staff are also recruiting well. One of the under-the-radar recruits Bielema has been able to land is Xavier Scott.

Scott received some great news on Tuesday. He was listed among the elite defensive athletes in the country, as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy watch list was revealed. This is the list of the top defensive players in college football.

This is a no-brainer. Scott is coming off a 2024 campaign that could have easily led him to the NFL. Instead, he came back to Champaign. He was a first-team All-Big Ten and an All-American honorable mention in 2024, too. This was all due to his great play of 49 tackles, six pass deflections, four interceptions, one forced fumble, and a pick-six.

The long list of Illinois football defensive backs in the NFL Draft is going to get longer with Xavier Scott

The NFL Draft has been good to the Illini since Bielema took over the program. The secondary has especially been fruitful for NFL teams.

Devon Witherspoon was selected No. 5 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Along with Witherspoon, Quan Martin and Sydney Brown were both selected in that draft as well.

In 2022, Kerby Joseph held the defensive back torch, and he went on to lead the entire NFL in interceptions last season.

Scott is the next great defensive back to get picked in the NFL Draft. He has elite ball skills, and it is not a matter of if, but it is a matter of how high he gets picked.