367 team receiving yards leader isn't a headline at Illinois anymore — it's just what Collin Dixon reliably is.
6′1″ · 215 lb · Tallmadge, OH · Tallmadge
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
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 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
Junior wide receiver for Illinois. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
“Duke figured out that Collin Dixon was Illinois entire offense. Illinois still hasn’t figured out that Nate Sheppard is Duke’s offense”
Collin Dixon
Collin Dixon is a cornerstone for Illinois — measured against the line he joined.
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
367
Team leader in receiving yards (367).
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Badges
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Bret Bielema.
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 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 |
| Wk 3 | W 48-10vs Southern Illinois | 8 | 131 | 16.4 | 2 | 45 | 2 TD catches |
| Total | 25 | 367 | 14.4 | 7 | 45 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 48–10
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +131 receiving yards, +8 catches, +2 receiving TD.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Bret Bielema — 21-8 over that span.
Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort
Box-score + play-by-play EPA percentiles
Elite: catch rate (95th percentile). Strength: epa / target (90th percentile).
Real play-by-play efficiency
Season trend
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).
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
3038% of team targetsCatch rate
83%25 of 30 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
83% catch rate on 30 targets · 38% of the team's targets · 83% catch rate on 6 deep targets (20+ air yds).
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 8.3 | 122 | 14.4 | 2.3 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 8.3 | 122 | 14.4 | 2.3 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Pass share
48.8%
81 pass / 85 run
Plays / game
55.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.2%
91 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Balanced, slow tempo.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
our read surprisingly productive for a receiver with no award recognition yet — top-2% TD rate, top-1% overall receiving production.
Recognition
2026 outlook
Outside shot for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #29 of 61 Big Ten WRs
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.
Play style
Wins the 50-50 ball at the goal line.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
Wins contested catches at the goal line. Size and catch radius are the weapons.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Korey Robertson’s 2017 season.
Matches Korey on
Differs from Korey on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Blayne Taylor’s path through Abilene Christian.
Blayne Taylor
Jalen Coker
Matches Blayne on
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Antwane Wells Jr.'s junior season at Ole Miss (2024).
Matches Antwane on
Differs from Antwane on
Heisman Trajectory · 2026
Peaked at #226 this season.
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…
10 more on the roster · Illinois team page