How 5th-year DBs Scott, Bailey worked their way back to lead an experienced Illini secondary

CHAMPAIGN — If all had gone according to plan, Xavier Scott would have been the latest in a recent group of Illinois defensive backs to be drafted into the NFL this past spring.

Scott was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior in 2024 after totaling four interceptions and six pass breakups, and he entered last season with high expectations.

But late in the Illini’s Week 3 game against Western Michigan, Scott landed awkwardly on his right ankle. The injury required surgery, and he said he also had a minor cleanup surgery on his left ankle for an issue that dated to high school.

Instead of helping the Illini in their nine-win season, he spent game days watching inside the Illinois athletic facilities with the coaches’ kids.

“It was pretty tough sitting in there watching my teammates play, but I tried to do everything I could to help them guys win,” Scott said Thursday at Illinois’ media day. “I wasn’t out on the field, but just giving them information and tips and anything I could do to help them.”

Scott should get back to helping the Illini on the field this season as part of an experienced secondary that could be a strength of new coordinator Bobby Hauck’s 3-3-5 defense.

His ankle surgeries and the recovery they required made it a better option to return to Illinois for his fifth season rather than try for the NFL, and he announced in January he would be back in Champaign.

The versatile defensive back, who can play nickel or outside, joins fifth-year safety Matthew Bailey, an honorable-mention All-Big Ten pick last season, as the veteran leaders of the group. Cornerback Juice Clarke, who started eight games last season and also was an honorable-mention selection, and safety Mac Resetich are back for their senior seasons.

Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he’s “super excited” to get Scott back in the mix after he sat out spring practice and thinks it will be fun to see what the experienced group can do. Scott has six interceptions and 26 passes defended in his four-year career.

“He literally could play all five DB positions,” Bielema said. “He’s super intelligent, very versatile, extremely tough. He’s gritty. He’s been through it a little bit now, so I think the adversity he has had the last year and then two years ago with an injury, that has helped define his edge. He has been a welcome-back guy. He’s been very explosive on the field.”

Bielema said it was “pissing me off” when he looked at the Jim Thorpe Award watch list this week. The 35-player preseason list for the award that goes to the nation’s top defensive back didn’t have an Illinois player on it, and by Bielema’s estimation both Scott and Bailey deserved a nod.

Scott, from Riviera Beach, Fla., was a Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2024, when he also had 49 tackles, including two for a loss, a sack and a forced fumble to go with his four picks. Bailey, from Moline, led the Illini last season with 76 tackles and had four tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, a quarterback hurry and two pass breakups.

But Scott wasn’t too worried about the list. The way he sees it, he can’t win an award in the preseason.

“Just an opportunity to play hard, to show I didn’t lose anything,” he said. “I always tell myself, these guys aren’t going to win this award in the preseason. I’m always going to get an opportunity.”

Along with the physical recovery this offseason, Scott said getting his mindset right was important. He had shoulder surgery in high school and said he learned then the mentality it takes to get back.

“It’s what you do after (the injury),” Scott said. “Life is going to hit you with many roadblocks, but it’s not about what happens. It’s about how you come out of that situation. You don’t want to sit in sorrow. At the end of the day, you’re going to get another chance to play football.”

Scott isn’t the only one in the secondary who needed to recover in the offseason.

After starting 12 games, Bailey missed Illinois’ bowl game in 2025 to have shoulder surgery and also sat out the spring. But Bielema said Hauck and the defensive coaches were blown away by his ability to jump in with an understanding of the defense in fall camp.

Bielema said Bailey has stepped into a more vocal role and is providing the type of guidance Bailey received from safety Sydney Brown, now with the Atlanta Falcons, when he was a young player. Bielema thinks the chain of leadership in the secondary has been important because “if you can get guys to know they follow the path of those in front of them, they can usually do great things.”

Bailey has had to be intentional about it. He said he always kept his head down and worked, figuring his teammates could see how he operated. He was a little nervous about taking on a more vocal role, but he knew it was something the team needed.

“It’s not necessarily easy because everybody is looking at you,” Bailey said. “You might feel like you’re being judged or feel like you’re saying the wrong thing or not relating to everybody the same way. But that’s something I had to really grow in and step up, talking in front of the team, in front of the defense and establishing the expectation and standard we have.”

Scott tries to do the same. He learned how to lead from former Illini cornerback Devon Witherspoon, now a three-time Pro Bowl selection for the Seattle Seahawks, and he is passing on the same lessons.

“Tough love is not always harping on the young players,” Scott said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to say stuff they’ve got to hear now so it won’t be (a problem) when it’s on the field at game time. When game time comes, it’s 60,000 people yelling and screaming at the same time, so it’s a lot going on. So you want to put in perspective what it’s like to be on the field.”

Bailey said it “means so much” to have Scott’s experience, playmaking ability, communication and hard work back on the field with him this season. Both players said the transition to Hauck’s defense hasn’t been too difficult, saying “defense is defense.”

Scott said he still is getting back to himself as camp rolls on. He understands there will be ups and downs but said the important thing is to be ready when the Illini host UAB on Sept. 3 in the opener.

“Just feeling back comfortable, getting back to me,” he said. “I know how I feel when I’m 100%, so I’m just trying to make sure I feel like me and feel the most confident.”