Illinois Football: Collin Dixon adds to a talented Illini wide receiver room

It is amazing how well the Illinois football coaching staff can handle both regular recruiting and the transfer portal.

Monday was big for the Illini. In the transfer portal, Bret Bielema was able to land our, most likely, starting center for 2023 in Avery Jones. He is a former four-star recruit who has numerous starts under his belt on the offensive line.

While we are killing it in the transfer portal, Bielema and his coaching staff are also adding fresh faces from the high school ranks. In addition to adding Jones, Illinois was also able to secure a commitment from Collin Dixon on Monday.

Collin Dixon gives Illinois football another weapon on offense.

Dixon was a huge snag for the Orange and Blue. He is entering the Illinois program as a three-star recruit and is ranked as the No. 776 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 105 wide receiver in the country and the No. 23 player coming out of Ohio.

The Tallmadge High School superstar was down to just Wisconsin and Illinois as the two landing spots back in June. He took official visits to both programs but ended up picking the Badgers. That commitment lasted until Wisconsin fired their head coach. Dixon then reopened his recruitment.

Illinois was quick to get Dixon in the door. Just a few weeks after he backed away from his commitment to Wisconsin, the 6-foot-2 wide receiver visited Champaign once again. This time around, Dixon decided to commit to the Illini.

This is a big commitment for Illinois. Dixon is now our third-highest-rated recruit on the board and the highest-rated wide receiver for the Illini in 2023. He is also the third-highest-rated wide receiver Illinois has snagged out of the past six recruiting classes.

It might be difficult for Dixon to see a ton of snaps in 2023, so a redshirt year might be best for him. This would help his development. By the 2024 campaign, I think Dixon could be one of our main pass catchers.

Illinois is only likely to lose just one wide receiver this offseason. Everyone else is likely to return to the roster. This program is going to be loaded with playmakers in 2023. But we will lose some talent entering 2024, like Brian Hightower and Casey Washington.

I am excited about the future at wide receiver for the Illini. Both Isaiah Williams and Pat Bryant are going to be juniors. Hank Beatty had a good year, and he is just going to be a sophomore. Former top 1000 recruits Shawn Miller and Eian Pugh are going to be redshirt freshmen. And then you have a player like Dixon coming in to help build even more depth.

Bielema is building the Illinois football program player by player. The future is so bright for the Orange and Blue.