Story byStephen CohnFri, January 16, 2026 at 5:20 AM UTC·1 min readX-Man is back. Xavier Scott announced Thursday night that he will return to Illinois for the 2026 season. Scott, a Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist in 2024, missed most of the 2025 season after suffering an injury against Western Michigan. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe joined the Illini in 2022 as a freshman and has played 39 total games in his career, totaling 127 tackles and six interceptions. It’s another big boost to Bret Bielema’s secondary as he retools Aaron Henry’s defense with a bunch of departures this offseason.