Matthew Bailey made his presence felt in Illinois' season opener, leading the defense with eight tackles.
Senior defensive back Matthew Bailey led the Illinois defense in tackles on opening night against UAB, helping the Illini to a 42-23 victory. The Illinois defense has some work to do if it wants to compete with the elite teams in the Big Ten, but there were positives to take away from its performance.
Bailey ranked No. 3 on the defense in PFF (Pro Football Focus) grades. Players are graded on every play on a scale from -2 to +2 in 0.5-point increments, and Bailey finished with a 75.3 grade. He played 70 total snaps and recorded eight tackles.
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectThe senior defensive back should be one of the Illini's best players on that side of the ball this season. Bailey is a team captain and was named to multiple preseason All-Big Ten teams following back-to-back All-Big Ten honorable mention seasons in 2024 and 2025. He played in all 12 regular-season games last season and led the team with 76 tackles.
Bailey is one of several pieces in the Illinois secondary who could help the Illini develop a dangerous pass defense. The secondary did not look quite as strong as expected in the opener, but the personnel is there to give opposing quarterbacks plenty of problems.
In addition to Bailey, the Illini secondary features senior defensive back Xavier Scott. Scott was a preseason All-Big Ten selection and a fourth-team preseason All-American entering the 2025 season, but he played in just three games before missing the remainder of the year with an injury. He surprised some fans when he announced his return to Illinois and should be in line for a major bounce-back season.
Scott had an elite 2024 campaign and has the potential to provide a significant boost to an Illinois defense looking to improve from last year's struggles. He started all 13 games that season and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. In 2024, he ranked as the No. 3 cornerback in the conference, according to PFF.
Scott played 41 snaps at cornerback against UAB and should continue to ramp up his workload following his injury. He ranked No. 7 on the Illini defense with a 72.7 PFF grade. Scott recorded two solo tackles Thursday night, already putting him just one tackle shy of his total from last season.
Bailey and Scott have an opportunity to lead the Illinois secondary and take the defense to the next level. The Illini struggled defensively last season, and there were some signs of the same issues against UAB. If Illinois wants to compete with the Big Ten's best teams, Bailey and Scott will need to play a major role in changing that narrative throughout the 2026 season.
