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MADISON, WISCONSIN - NOVEMBER 22: Matthew Bailey #7 of the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half of the game against the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on November 22, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images) | Getty Images
CHICAGO — Going into next season, Illinois’ defense might look structurally similar, but should have a different feel to it. Former Montana head coach Bobby Hauck was brought in as the new defensive coordinator, but plans to keep the team in a 3-3-5 formation.
Senior defensive back Mathew Bailey sat down with Rick Pizzo during Big Ten Media Days and discussed his return and how he is embracing a leadership role in this new-look system. Bailey originally considered entering the 2026 NFL Draft, but chose to hold back. Health and improving his stock as a player being the deciding factors.
“Yeah, to take care of my shoulder. I didn’t want to go into the league with any issues body-wise,” Bailey said. “Being able to recover and just improve as a player. I think that raising my stock as a player will only help me this year.”
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Coming back meant stepping into a leadership role, which for Bailey, wasn’t something that he was necessarily used to. He noted that learning from a leader like former Illini Miles Scott has prepared him to become “that leader that I always knew I could be.”
“I’ve had to step up a lot this year,” Bailey said. “Before I was kind of in the background and working hard but not really talking as much, so learning how to vocalize and get guys to buy into the program has been something that’s really awesome and I enjoy it.”
Despite having a standout secondary for the past few years, the Illinois defense as a whole has left a lot to be desired. Last season in the Big Ten, it ranked 12th in points allowed per game (29.4) and 11th in yards allowed per game (356.4). Hauck will look to bring some much needed energy and pre-snap movement to a team that was middle of the pack in sacks last season.
As previously mentioned, DB talent has become common over the years. Bailey, alongside seniors Xavier Scott and Juice Clarke lead a reliable and experienced secondary. This experience brings an even higher expectation, that being, to uphold the culture and play well enough to lead Illinois to the college playoffs.
“The expectation that we have is just to go 1-0 every week, and continuing that standard that we’ve held for the past couple years,” Bailey said. “We have been in that talk of college playoffs and we let them get away from us, but this year we’re going to keep that same standard to go 1-0 each week.”
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