Miles Scott – A Name to Watch from Illinois for the 2026 NFL Draft (9-15-25)
By: Tyrone Montgomery Jr.
Headline Photo Credit: Illinois Football
As the Fighting Illini surge through the 2025 season ranked in the top 10 nationally, one name keeps rising in every scouting report, every film session, and in the locker room: Miles Scott. He is the starting safety for the team who happens to be the team captain as well. Represented by NXT ERA, Scott isn’t just playing what may be his final collegiate season, he is defining it.
Scott’s story is one of persistence, reinvention, and leadership. A native of Dolton, Illinois, he began his high school career at St. Laurence, where he played wide receiver. Wanting more exposure during the COVID era shutdown, he transferred to St. Thomas More in Connecticut for a postgraduate year. Despite solid film, he was under recruited and ended up walking on at his home state university, Illinois.
The turning point came when Illinois coaches suggested a position change. Scott moved from receiver to the defensive backfield, first corner, then safety. This change made sense as he has an idea of what to expect defending wide receivers since he originally played that position. The switch revived something in him. He rediscovered his love for the game as a defender, studying the playmakers he admired growing up like Troy Polamalu, Ed Reed, and Eric Berry while embracing the grind of learning a new position.
In the 2023 season, Scott started every game at safety. He made an immediate splash, returning an interception 48 yards for a touchdown in his defensive debut against Toledo. He later closed out the season with another pick six vs. Northwestern. He also ranked near the top of the team in tackles, interceptions, and pass breakups. Scott proved he can be elite at everything on the field.
Off the field, he still shown himself to be elite as his leadership has been formally recognized. Scott was voted a team captain for the 2024 season, one of six chosen by his teammates. He is also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and has been named to preseason All-Big Ten squads. As Illinois climbs the polls, currently holding the No. 9 spot in the AP Top 25 with their highest ranking since 2001, Scott has emerged as a cornerstone for a program that must keep delivering in every game.
Entering the 2025 season, Scott has 24 career starts, ample experience, and the kind of blend of instincts, physicality, and ball skills that scouts covet. He has shown the ability to read routes, anticipate plays, and make momentum shifting plays in big moments. Scott has already earned a place on the East-West Shrine Bowl watchlist, and invitations to either that showcase or the Senior Bowl would provide the perfect stage for him to prove he belongs among the nation’s elite talent. For NFL scouts, it would be another chance to see his leadership, versatility, and playmaking ability against top tier competition. For now, with his final collegiate season well underway, Scott isn’t just playing to be drafted, he is playing to lead, to win, and to leave a legacy. In every sense, he has become a critical pillar of Illinois’ nationally ranked success and of a program that is finally getting the spotlight it deserves.
