Illinois has its next big wideout in Collin Dixon, and the early signs look a lot like the Pat Bryant model.
After one week, Dixon already looks like the kind of receiver Illinois can build around. Against UAB, he hauled in six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns, a career-best scoring night and one of the strongest showings of his three-year run. Nearly half of Katin Houser’s completions found Dixon, and that connection was a big reason the Illini got through a tricky opener.
On Monday, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. made the comparison that will stick with fans. He put Dixon in the same conversation as Bryant, now in the NFL and once one of Illinois’ most reliable targets.
“They (Pat Bryant & Collin Dixon) are different players physically, but their character, their makeup, their football IQ, their awareness, their detail; very similar. Very similar players.”
Lunney also said Dixon keeps moving in the right direction.
“Collin has been on the steady track of improvement. He gives us everything he’s got.”
That’s strong praise, and it fits the way Dixon has developed. He’s not just surviving in the offense; he’s becoming the centerpiece.
At this point, he looks like Illinois’ clear No. 1 receiver, the guy who can take over the room and carry the workload. If he keeps trending this way, a 1,000-yard season doesn’t feel out of reach.
The production is starting to match the promise, too. Dixon’s 70-yard day came on the heels of a 2025 season in which he posted 548 yards and five touchdowns.
That wasn’t a flash in the pan. It was the setup.
His path to Illinois also says plenty about how much the program wanted him. Dixon entered the class of 2023 as the No. 824 player in the country, and Illinois was not the first team to win him over. He took official visits to Illinois and Wisconsin in June 2022, then committed to the Badgers just days later.
Illinois stayed in the fight. When Wisconsin faced Illinois in October 2022, the Illini won, Wisconsin moved on from head coach Paul Chryst, and Dixon reopened his recruitment. Northwestern and Illinois both got official visits after that, and this time Illinois finished the job.
Now the payoff is here. Dixon isn’t a future piece anymore. He’s already one of the defining players on this Illinois team, and the way he opened 2026 suggests there’s plenty more coming.
In Other News...
Illinois Must Rework Its Line For Duke After A Costly Loss
Illinois will have to shuffle its offensive line again this week after Bret Bielema confirmed that guard Brandon Henderson will miss the upcoming game against Duke with a lower-body injury suffered late against Alabama-Birmingham. The injury came at an awkward time for a line that already has to be managed carefully, and Bielema said the staff is weighing replacement options as it tries to keep the front five steady for a nonconference matchup that now carries a little more urgency.
Bielema also gave updates on Jayshon Platt and Daniel Brown, offering a clearer picture of the rosters health as Illinois works through the early part of the season. Hendersons recovery is expected to take somewhere between two and six weeks, which leaves the Illini planning for more than just one game and waiting to see how the rest of the depth chart settles before the schedule stiffens further. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois May Need A JUCO Newcomer To Fix Its Secondary
Illinois new-look defense may wind up leaning on a familiar kind of bet, the kind that has helped plenty of programs patch holes in a hurry. Jakwon Morris arrives from Northwest Mississippi Community College with the sort of background Illinois has been willing to trust before: junior college polish, obvious athletic traits and a reputation for speed and coverage ability. In a secondary that needs answers, his profile stands out as one of the cleaner fits for the Illinis transition to a 3-3-5 scheme.
Morris still has to prove he can carry that promise onto the Power 4 stage, but the expectation inside Illinois is that he can push for a starting role at outside corner in 2026. For a defense trying to reshape itself, that kind of development matters just as much as any recruiting splash. The question now is whether his tools translate quickly enough to make him more than depth and become one of the pieces that steadies the back end. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Is Counting On Joe Barna In A Much Bigger Role
Joe Barna has quietly become one of the more interesting pieces on Illinois defense, the kind of versatile junior defensive end whose frame and skill set fit neatly into the Illinis 3-3-5 scheme. He worked his way from a rotational role into the starting lineup and made his presence felt in the 2025 season, including a key strip sack in the Music City Bowl, the sort of play that can change how a staff views a player heading into the next year.
His rise has come with a little extra uncertainty, though, after shoulder surgery kept him out of spring practice. Even so, Barna was back in the lineup to start and play well in the 2026 season opener, and Illinois is now counting on him to take on a much bigger role as the defense leans on proven edge help and continued development up front. [Read more 🡒]