Collin Dixon: The Value of Patience

Three years ago, Collin Dixon didn’t see the football field at Illinois.

Tomorrow, Ohio State will have to figure out how to keep him out of the end zone.

Dixon, a native of Tallmadge, Ohio, redshirted his freshman season in 2023. He caught just 18 passes in 2024 before improving to 35 receptions, 548 yards and five touchdowns last year.

Not bad, but this year something seems to have clicked.

Through three games this season, Dixon has already caught 25 passes for 367 yards and seven touchdowns, breaking Illinois' single-season record for receiving touchdowns at its nearly 103-year-old home stadium.

I repeat: He’s only played three games so far.

Patience, working until his time to shine arrived, is what makes Dixon's story worth telling.

We live in a world where everybody wants immediate results. We want to lose weight in two weeks, fix a troubled relationship overnight or overcome years of anxiety after a couple of counseling sessions.

And when it doesn't happen, we get frustrated. Then we typically quit.

But Dixon's progression reminds us that improvement doesn't always happen on our timetable.

There were undoubtedly plenty of days when he worked just as hard as the receivers getting all the attention. The difference was that nobody outside the program noticed.

Now everybody notices.

Saturday, Dixon comes to Ohio Stadium with seven touchdowns and an opportunity to show Buckeye fans, and all of his fans in Tallmadge, just how far he's come.

Whether he scores another touchdown isn't really the point.

Three years ago, he was a nonfactor. An afterthought.

Now, opposing defenses have to account for him on every play.

The biggest mistake we make is giving up because the results haven't caught up with the work.

Buckeye fans will obviously be rooting for Dixon to be shut down.

But if the patient Ohio boy succeeds in the Shoe tomorrow, I certainly won’t be disappointed.

As long as he’s not too successful.