CHAMPAIGN - Collin Dixon’s climb at Illinois has been built on a habit that sounds simple but takes real buy-in: stay after the day ends, watch the tape, and keep sharpening the edges.
Last year during training camp, Dixon and fellow Illinois wideout Hank Beatty would head back to Dixon’s house after night practices, strap on compression boots, and dive into film that was only a few hours old. Beatty stayed there as he prepared for what became a breakout season, one that ended with Third Team All-Big Ten honors and an undrafted free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans.
For Dixon, that routine was part of a steady rise of his own. The two receivers wanted a way to challenge each other, and they leaned on the example set by veterans before them - Pat Bryant, Isaiah Williams and Casey Washington - who had already shown them what daily habits looked like at a higher level.
Beatty said the film sessions gave both players a chance to see the game through each other’s eyes.
"It was a great way of understanding how we each saw things from practice," Beatty told Illini Inquirer via text message. "This way we could bounce ideas and opinions off each other to both be better.
He is also very smart in general. His understanding of the offense and different concepts is part of what makes him so successful, but also just the things he picks up when watching film.
Learning moves and techniques from other guys, and applying them to his own game. He not only understands what he needs to do to be successful, but he has a plan for making it happen."
Dixon sees it the same way.
"I think it's something we'd kind of been doing. If we had a morning practice, we could come in in the afternoon and watch it after. But getting at night and staying in the same place together was a really good opportunity to see the things that worked and didn't work at practice and kind of analyze it."
That kind of attention to detail has helped make Dixon one of the players Illinois coaches trust most. The senior receiver has improved every year, knows the offense inside and out, and can line up at all three receiver spots. He’s also followed the blueprint laid down by Bryant, Williams and Washington, turning observation into routine.
And the production has already been there. Dixon finished last season with 35 catches for 548 yards and five touchdowns, mostly working on the outside.
That placed him No. 27 in the Big Ten in receiving yards and 16th in receiving touchdowns. Before that, as a redshirt freshman in 2024, he started in the slot and posted 18 receptions for 264 yards.
If his progression keeps going the way Illinois believes it can, Dixon is set up for his best college season yet.
In Other News...
Illinois Just Added Another Big Piece To Its Future Backcourt Push
Illinois is using its recent Final Four run as a springboard into the next recruiting cycle, and Brad Underwood is lining up more high-end backcourt visitors for the fall. The latest wave includes several five-star targets, with the staff continuing to push hard after already landing five-star shooting guard Quentin Coleman for the 2026 class and keeping the momentum going into the 2026-27 roster build.
One of the biggest names in that group is 2027 combo guard NaVarro Bowman Jr., who is set to take an official visit to Champaign on Sept. 10, while 2028 combo guard Brady Pettigrew is also on the visit calendar. For Illinois, the timing matters as much as the talent, because Underwood is clearly trying to stack perimeter pieces early and give the program another path to stay in the national conversation well beyond last springs breakthrough. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Freshmen Are Already Drawing Some Intriguing Former Illini Comparisons
The early look at Illinois 2026-27 freshmen class is already inviting some familiar Brad Underwood-era comparisons, which is usually a good sign that the roster has both length and upside worth talking about. Lincoln Williams, Landon Davis, Ethan Brown and Quentin Coleman all bring different skill sets to Champaign, and the broader point of the breakdown is less about projecting a finished product than about sketching what each player might become once they get into the programs system.
What makes the exercise useful for Illinois fans is how easily these freshmen can be lined up with former Illini who helped define the Underwood era in different ways, from physical wings to shot-making guards to versatile pieces who found their roles over time. The comparisons are still speculative, of course, but they offer a basic read on how this group could fit, and which newcomers may be the kind of players who start looking very familiar once the season actually gets here. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Earned A Real Shot At An Elite 2027 Big Man
Darius Wabbingtons recruitment has started to take on the shape of a real national chase, and Illinois is right in the middle of it. The 2027 five-star big man has lined up official visits to six finalist schools, giving the Illini a chance to make their pitch against a strong group that also includes Indiana, Louisville, Arizona, North Carolina and Texas. Wabbingtons background already stands out, too, with both high school and international experience adding to the intrigue around a prospect whose ceiling has made him one of the more closely watched young frontcourt players in the country.
For Illinois, the encouraging part is not just being included, but being included at this stage after the list tightened. Wabbington comes in as a major target with plenty of room for the next wave of recruiting momentum, and his profile suggests the kind of big man every program wants to keep in the conversation. The visits will matter, and so will the impression Illinois makes when the dust settles on this round of evaluation. [Read more 🡒]