Illinois DB Xavier Scott Announces Return for 2025 Season

Scott's announcement marks the latest round of good news the Illini have received

Nov 30, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Xavier Scott (14) is stopped by Northwestern Wildcats wide receiver Drew Wagner (48) after he makes a n interception against Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Illinois football got a critical boost in its secondary with Sunday's announcement that defensive back Xavier Scott will return to the program next season.

Scott joins left tackle J.C. Davis, quarterback Luke Altmyer and potentially at least 10 more All Big Ten honorees who have decided to forego the transfer portal and NFL Draft to remain in Champaign following the team's first 10-win season since 2001.

Scott, who rated as a top-15 defensive back in college football last season, was an All-Big Ten First Team player and started all 13 games. His brilliant 2024 culminated in a 21-17 win in the Citrus Bowl against South Carolina, Illinois' first bowl victory in more than a decade.

Scott took to social media to break the news:

"Let's make this one special," Scott posted on Instagram, in reference to the upcoming season.

"I'm back," read the graphic.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Xavier Scott (@xayscott_)

Illinois demonstrated stunning growth under coach Bret Bielema last season. And with Bielema set to enter his fifth year since arriving in Champaign in Dec. 2020, Scott has been as expressive as any member of the Illini in his praise of the coaching staff.

"Honestly, I have to tip my hat to the coaches," he said during a Citrus Bowl practice week press conference. "I've even talked to guys that have went here and went to other places, and they truly tell me, it's not like this anywhere else in the country – just the way that these guys are able to truly make it a family feel outside of football. And then, within football, we learn so much about the game that it makes it easy going out there on the field."

Scott has blossomed in three seasons at Illinois, starting 25 of 36 games. Last season, he tied for second in the Big Ten with four interceptions, including a game-changing pick-six in an eventual upset of then-No. 19-ranked Kansas last September.

After a season in which they were one of the youngest teams in Power 4 football, the Illini will return a wealth of experience in 2025, when a manageable schedule could allow the program to make a push for another 10 wins and major bowl berth – and maybe more.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

J.C. Davis Returns to Illinois Football to Shore Up Offensive Line

Gesture-Gate: The Ridiculousness of the Shane Beamer-Bret Bielema Clash

Illinois Football Stuns South Carolina in Program-Shifting Citrus Bowl Upset