Collin Dixon's hot start 'incredible to watch'

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Sep. 25—CHAMPAIGN — Collin Dixon didn't arrive at Illinois as an immediate star.

The Tallmadge, Ohio, native didn't even see the field during his freshman season, redshirting behind Isaiah Williams, Casey Washington and Pat Bryant in 2023.

Dixon was part of the rotation at wide receiver in 2024, but Bryant and Zakhari Franklin were the clear top targets. Last season provided further evolution of Dixon's role. Hank Beatty established himself as the Illini's No. 1 wide receiver, but Dixon set new career-highs with 35 catches for 548 yards and five touchdowns.

Now, Dixon has laid claim to the spot that Williams and Bryant and Beatty all held, and some of the results through three games have been record-setting.

Dixon will enter Big Ten play on Saturday at No. 7 Ohio State ranking first in the conference with seven touchdown catches, second with 25 total receptions and third after totaling 367 receiving yards.

Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. said Dixon's play through three games has "been incredible to watch" but hasn't surprised him. A sentiment shared by fifth-year running back Aidan Laughery, who said Dixon's success "is no surprise."

Maybe for them.

Dixon, himself, certainly didn't expect to rack up the catches, yardage and touchdowns he has through just three games. Particularly when those seven touchdowns gave him the single-season record at Gies Memorial Stadium. A building that first opened in 1923.

"I knew it might be a bigger role just because, naturally, I'm an older guy and I started last year, but to have the start of the season, it's been incredible," Dixon said. "It's been a lot of fun. But, no, I don't think anybody could have imagined this."

Dixon's teammates and coaches imagined it for him based on the work he's put in since arriving in Champaign a three-star recruit, flipped from Wisconsin, out of Tallmadge High School. His alma mater is just 130 miles northeast of the Ohio State campus in the Akron suburbs.

But even with two extraordinarily productive years for the Blue Devils as a junior and senior, Dixon got the time to develop in Champaign. Racking up 157 catches for 2,954 yards and 39 touchdowns in his final two high school seasons didn't mean Dixon could avoid essentially starting over at Illinois.

How Dixon treated his redshirt season — and every year since — is the root cause of his success this season. That's been clear to his coaches and his long-time teammates.

"When Collin Dixon walks in that front door every day, he's the same guy," Illinois coach Bret Bielema said. "He's one of the first guys in the building. I'll be showing defensive clips, and he'll be wired in as much as anybody. He just loves football."

"He competes his tail off no matter what it is," Laughery added. "I think he's been building for a couple years and obviously playing good football, but he's hitting full stride and taking advantage of every opportunity."

"Nobody works harder," Illinois pass game coordinator Mike Neu finished. "He takes advantage of every day that he gets. He practices on Tuesday the exact same way he plays in the game. … It's just awesome to see his hard work pay off in the investment he makes in taking care of himself and the pride that he takes building a great relationship with a guy like (quarterback) Katin Houser. It's been awesome to see his production be what it's been through three games, and, shoot, he's just getting started."

Houser has repeatedly said he has full trust in Dixon on the field. That's a result of the relationship the two built when Houser arrived in Champaign in January after transferring from East Carolina. They made a concerted effort to build a connection — on and off the field — and that trust has been evident in how Houser has leaned on Dixon early this season.

But a strong connection between quarterback and wide receiver alone doesn't account for 25 catches for 367 yards and seven touchdowns in just three games. Dixon's skill and ability at the position has been a difference-maker.

"He's just consistent," Houser said. "Every route he runs full speed, 100 percent. He's winning in man coverage. He's getting in the right spot on zone. He's just someone that's so reliable. When the ball's in his vicinity, he's going to go catch it. That's why I feel great about him."

The combination of Dixon's in-game production and what he shows throughout the week on the practice field has led to an influx of NFL attention. The front-office personnel that regularly run through Champaign have had their interest piqued.

"His football IQ is through the charts," Bielema said. "He's got an exceptional catch radius. A lot of those catches he makes are outside the framework of his body, and he's got really good speed. That's the part that's really probably jumping out when NFL guys come in now. They're really excited about him. The good news is I think his best football is yet to come."

Finding ways to showcase that will be Lunney's challenge moving forward this season. Dixon is already starting to draw special attention from opposing defenses, and Houser's lone interception against Southern Illinois was the result of trying to thread the needle to Dixon through double coverage in the end zone.

"It's our job to move them around and to make it hard for (opposing defenses) to know where they're going to be, where they're going to line up and what we're doing with them schematically," Lunney said about his efforts with his top receivers. "Collin certainly affords us the ability to do that because of his intelligence. But it will get increasingly more challenging each week to continue to make him a feature guy.

"It's important we continue to build around Collin. This show is not about Collin Dixon. Collin's off to a great start, but we protected well, we've thrown the ball well and the other guys around him have continued to emerge. But, obviously, his hot start has been really incredible to watch. Not surprising, but incredible."

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