CHAMPAIGN — Matthew Bailey stood just outside of the weight room in the media foyer of the Smith Center and opened the door into the way of thinking that has made him a premier safety for Illinois.
Bailey was asked by a reporter about what he could take from a torrid close to last season in which he was inarguably one of the three most impactful defensive players on a much-improved Illini defense. That kind of finish to the season must come with a confidence that trickles into winter workouts, spring practices, summer conditioning, training camp, and more importantly, the 2025 season, which kicks off at 6:30 p.m. Friday against Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium.
Of course, that confidence exists in Bailey as one of the leaders of the defense, but he also lingers on the missed opportunities: the team-high 17 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, and the shoulda-been interceptions.
“You do take away more from the losses and from the mistakes and all those things,” Bailey told Illini Inquirer. “Yeah, I could bring in the confidence from those games, but most importantly, I’ve learned what I’m not really that good at and the things I have to grow in order to be a player I want to be and to be able to help the defense like I need to.
“Ultimately, the mistakes or downfalls that I’ve had in the last seven, eight games or even the entire season last year that I’ve had to grow, ‘OK, Matthew, this is what we have to do this year. This is what we’ve got to be better at. How are we going to do that?'”