Illinois Football 2025 Scouting Report: Safety Miles Scott

With 24 career starts under his belt, Scott has the experience and skill set to thrive in the Illini secondary

Sep 20, 2024; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Miles Scott (10) celebrates after a missed field goal by the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

Illinois on SI is delivering scouting reports for each of the key players on the Illini football team's 2025 roster. Below, we present our breakdown of Illini senior safety Miles Scott. We will add more as other on-field contributors emerge during the season. Find our scouting reports of other Illinois players by searching in your favorite browser or clicking in our projected depth chart – coming soon.

Miles Scott | Safety | Senior | No. 10

Hometown: Dolton, Illinois

High school: St. Thomas More (Connecticut)

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 210 pounds

Scouting report

It wasn't until after high school, a postgraduate season in Connecticut, a redshirt season in Champaign (in which he snuck in four games) and a full campaign at Illinois in 2022 that Scott made a switch from wideout to safety. So as you might imagine, he has excellent ball skills, route recognition and anticipation in the defensive backfield, as well as the speed, explosiveness and fluidity to keep up with some of the most athletic pass catchers on the other side of the field.

In addition to bringing next-level insights to the safety position, Scott has added 20 pounds since his freshman year, improving his ability to hold up as an open-field tackler and match the physicality of bigger receivers in coverage. Given that he is going into only his third year as a college defensive back, Scott may still have another level or two of improvement he can achieve.

Experience

Scott already has five years of post-high school experience on the gridiron – all of which he is clearly putting to good use. An impressive run-stopper from the back line, Scott also thrives in coverage situations, ranking fourth on the team with 55 tackles and third with two interceptions in 2024.

Scott was dominant over the first four outings of 2024, grading out as the No. 1 safety in the country through the Kansas game last season – including holding opposing quarterbacks to a 0.0 passer rating when throwing in his direction. Throughout the rest of the campaign, Scott held steady as a pass defender, although he didn't tack on any more picks.

Year	Team	Games	Tackles	TFL-Yds	Sacks	INTs	Pass breakups	Forced fumbles
2024	Illinois	13	55	0	0	2	6	1
2023	Illinois	12	63	0	0	2	5
2022	Illinois	13	0	0	0	0	0	0

Media highlights

🚨INTERCEPTION ALERT🚨

Miles Scott with the 3️⃣rd interception of the night for @IlliniFootball 🤩#B1GFootball on @FS1 📺 pic.twitter.com/bxmwaWv39Y

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 8, 2024

What they're saying

"I just got a lot more knowledge of the game. I can talk to a lot more with the younger guys and let them know, you should do this ... you should come over here and do this. I feel like I got a lot more wisdom, and I just try to spread that with everybody," said Scott last week on his growth and development as a leader at Illinois.

2025 outlook

A veteran leader on this Illini squad, Scott is a critical piece for Illinois' secondary and its defense as a whole. Both on the field and in the locker room, Scott is an integral part of the program's recipe for success. He's an every-game starter for the Illini, and he'll help lead the way for one of the top secondaries in the conference.

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