Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 2 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 42-23vs UAB | 6 | 70 | 11.7 | 2 | 18 | 2 TD catches |
| Wk 2 | L 27-31vs Duke | 11 | 166 | 15.1 | 3 | 40 | Season-high 166 yds |
| Total | 17 | 236 | 13.4 | 5 | 40 |
#17
Collin Dixon
Rosters churn everywhere, but Collin Dixon keeps showing up for Illinois — a fixed point in a moving depth chart.
6′1″ · 215 lb · Tallmadge, OH · Tallmadge
CFB Index 53 · #196 of 485 WRsHigh confidenceReturning to Illinois for 2026
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
The numbers
236
receiving yards · 2026
17 catches · 5 TD · 13.9 per catch
2 games into 2026 so far
Career night11 rec · 166 yds · 3 TDvs Duke (FBS) · L 27-31
Top 1% catches game since 2021.
Here comes a play action to Dixonr/CFB game thread · ▲ 3His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
3 wide receiver for Illinois. 2026: 2 games with a box-score line.
- Signed as a 3-star recruit to Illinois in 2023.
Collin Dixon
Filling the Shoesas of 2026-09-15
Collin Dixon is a cornerstone for Illinois — measured against the line he joined.
236REC YDS17REC5REC TD
Read the story so far
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-15
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
The week the volume broke through — put up 86 yds at Indiana.Indiana · L 10-632025
2023
- Signed with Illinois3-star out of Tallmadge
Career arc
HS
Recruit
★★★
CFB
College
Illinois
NFL
NFL Draft
—
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coach2024–2026
Illinois
Played his entire career under Bret Bielema.
2026 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Bret Bielema — 20-8 over that span.
2024Illinois10-3HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning, slow tempo
2025Illinois9-4HC: Bret Bielema · Run-leaning
2026Illinois1-1HC: Bret Bielema · Balanced, slow tempo
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
High confidence
Elite: catch rate (98th percentile). Strength: epa / target (90th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Box-score rates (5)
Season trend
Last seasonThis season
EPA / target
61st → 90th percentile
Explosive rate
83rd → 60th percentile
Catch rate
27th → 98th percentile
TD rate
84th → 50th percentile
Yards / catch
90th → 67th percentile
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season. Most bars are box-score rates; EPA / success-rate bars are computed from real play-by-play (offense only — no defensive EPA model exists yet).
Splits & context
Splits
Per-game splits
Through 2 games: 8.5 REC/g, 118 YDS/g, 13.4 YPR, 2.5 TD/g — splits start at 3 games.
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.
Awards
Player standing · 2026
Backup
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #29 of 61 Big Ten WRs
How the All-Big Ten estimate is computed
15% estimated, 95% confidence interval 13–17%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 1 · 2026
W 42–23
vs UAB
6 rec · 70 yds · 2 TD
With K. Houser — 182 yds · 3 TD · 0 INT · QBR 98.9 · 29 rush yds (3 car) · 1 TD · C. Valentine — 88 rush yds (11 car) · 1 TD
Signature plays
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
- Week 2 · Duke · 4&1 · Q2 · EPA +4.95(12:53) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete deep left to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE18, for 40 yards to the DUKE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 12:47, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 1 · UAB · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.59(07:57) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at UAB00, for 18 yards to the UAB00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 07:55, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 1 · UAB · 1&10 · Q3 · EPA +2.55(10:17) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at UAB03, for 14 yards to the UAB00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:15, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 2 · Duke · 3&2 · Q2 · EPA +2.54(01:50) #4 K.Houser pass complete short middle to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE00, for 2 yards to the DUKE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 01:48 #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 2 · Duke · 1&10 · Q1 · EPA +2.54(10:28) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE00, for 13 yards to the DUKE00 TOUCHDOWN, clock 10:23, 1ST DOWN #37 E.Moczulski kick attempt good (H: #81 L.Rau, LS: #44 P.Mahoney III)
- Week 2 · Duke · 3&5 · Q1 · EPA +2.19(06:26) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE47, for 8 yards to the DUKE46 (#1 K.Loud), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · UAB · 2&11 · Q3 · EPA +2.02(14:26) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at ILL30, for 15 yards to the ILL39 (#3 I.Esonwune), 1ST DOWN
- Week 1 · UAB · 3&2 · Q3 · EPA +1.74(02:48) Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #17 C.Dixon caught at ILL39, for 9 yards to the ILL42 (#5 D.Gulley), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Duke · 1&10 · Q4 · EPA +1.71(13:41) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short right to #17 C.Dixon caught at ILL44, for 22 yards to the DUKE39 (#0 D.Flowers), 1ST DOWN
- Week 2 · Duke · 1&10 · Q2 · EPA +1.48(00:29) No Huddle-Shotgun #4 K.Houser pass complete short left to #17 C.Dixon caught at DUKE49, for 16 yards to the DUKE49, End Of Play, 1ST DOWN
Game log
How he plays
Play style
Wins the 50-50 ball at the goal line.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Illinois
2026 Depth chart
Projected starter
Wide receiver · Illinois
Returning around him
- 21% of 2024 offensive production back (Heavy turnover)
- 3 Illinois players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -7 net (20 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)
Illinois · Last season: 9-4 (AP #23) · Talent rank #51 · 2026 recruiting class #24
DNA match
Player DNA
Jump-Ball Target
Wins contested catches at the goal line. Size and catch radius are the weapons.
WR
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Josh Cameron’s 2024 season.
83%match
All-Big 12NFL Rd 6
Matches Josh on
Height
TD rate
Reception volume
Differs from Josh on
Class year (lower)
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Jalen Coker’s path through Holy Cross.
Matches Jalen on
Yards per reception
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Javen Banks's junior season at Texas State (2020).
62%match
Matches Javen on
Yards / reception
Differs from Javen on
Class year (lower)
Weight (higher)
EPA / play (adj) (lower)
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peak #226
Peaked at #226 this season.
Background
2026 - Illinois Team Captain Attended the 2026 B1G Student-Athlete Leadership Retreat Athlon Preseason All-Big Ten Fourth Team 2025 - Illinois CSC Academic All-District Started all 13 games 35 receptions for 548 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season Tied for the team lead in receiving...
The receiver room · Illinois
- #9Alex Perry840 receiving yards · 2025
- #1Jayshon Platt720 receiving yards · 2025
- #17Collin Dixon548 receiving yards · 2025
- #13Hudson Clement454 receiving yards · 2025
- #10Ty Robinson113 receiving yards · 2025
10 more on the roster · Illinois team page
Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology