Having elite wide receivers at the college level is not a specialty of the Illinois football program.
Sure, we have had some great pass catchers. The Illini have produced players like Brandon Lloyd, Pat Bryant, and Geronimo Allison, to name a few.
One thing that has eluded the Illinois wide receiver corps throughout time is the Biletnikoff Award. This is the award given out to the best wide receiver in college football.
That streak of Illinois being left out of this prestigious award continues for the 2025 preseason. The Biletnikoff Award watchlist was released on Wednesday, and no Illinois name was to be found.
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as Illinois’ top two wide receivers from 2024 departed. In addition to that, the Illini have never had a finalist since the Biletnikoff Award started back in 1994.
With that being said, weirder things have happened. Illinois doesn’t have a player on the watch list, but could there be a wide receiver who emerges and lands on the list throughout the season?
Illinois football’s top candidates to land on the Biletnikoff Award watchlist throughout the 2025 season
I think the first player I am going with is Collin Dixon. I think he has a chance to blossom into not just the best wide receiver on the Illini, but I think he could be one of the top pass-catchers in the Big Ten.
Dixon shined as a freshman in 2024. He had 18 receptions for 264 yards. These numbers ranked No. 4 on the team. Illinois also has 109 receptions and 1,636 yards to divvy out now that Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin are gone. Look for Dixon to eat in 2025.
If Malik Elzy starts living up to his four-star billing, he could easily find his way onto the list. Elzy is an elite athlete who will have his chance to break out in 2025. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Elzy has a chance to be the next Arrelious Benn or AJ Jenkins. He has that elite-level talent.
The last player I want to note is Hudson Clement. The West Virginia transfer had 51 receptions for 741 yards and five touchdowns in 2024. He is now bringing that to an Illinois team that is starved for wide receiver talent.
While Clement does have nice size at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds, he is going to be Luke Altmyer’s safety blanket. That will enable Clement to rack up plenty of catches and opportunities for yards-after-catch.
Illinois doesn’t have a Biletnikoff Award watch list player, but by mid-season, don’t be shocked if one creeps onto the list. We have the horse, so let’s let them run.