The Illinois football team got a head start on building toward playoff contention next season when two of its stalwart players announced they were returning.
Defensive back Xavier Scott and offensive lineman J.C. Davis both say they will play again for the Illini next fall after both helped the Illini tie the program record for wins in a season (10) with a victory in the Citrus Bowl over No. 14 South Carolina.
Here is what to know about the key returnees:
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Xavier Scott
Scott is an all-Big Ten first-team defensive back who was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award as one of the top 15 defensive backs in college football. He started all 13 games at cornerback for Illinois in 2024. He also earned Phil Steele All-America honorable mention honors.
He broke the news on social media, writing: “Let’s make this one special. I’m back.”
In three seasons in Champaign, Scott has played in 36 games with 25 starts and has six interceptions, three forced fumbles, 121 tackles, and 24 passes defended (18 pass breakups). He tied for second in the Big Ten with a career-best four interceptions in 2024, including one returned for a touchdown against Kansas.
Scott will have the opportunity to play with his brother, Xanai, next season, who signed with Illinois in December. He is a three-star defensive back out of Riviera Beach, Fla.
J.C. Davis
Illinois all-Big Ten left tackle J.C. Davis is also returning in 2025. He was an all-Big Ten third-team selection by the conference’s coaches following the regular season.
Davis started all 13 games at left tackle for Illinois in 2024. He will enter his second season with Illinois in 2025.
Davis has 37 consecutive career starts in FBS football, including 24 at New Mexico, where was an All-Mountain West first-team selection in 2023 and an All-Mountain West honorable mention honoree in 2022. He has played 2,357 career snaps at left tackle and has allowed just two sacks in his last 25 games (1,462 snaps).
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Davis had one of his best games of the season against South Carolina, allowing zero pressures and committing zero penalties. His 87.6 PFF pass-blocking grade in the Citrus Bowl is the seventh-best in the nation among tackles during the postseason.
Davis is eligible to return in 2025 after the NCAA approved a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to former junior college transfers.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Illinois football: Two stalwart players will return for Illini in 2025
