When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from one to 10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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MORE STING FACTOR: David Caulker's flip from Iowa to Iowa State
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THE STORYLINE
In June when Collin Dixon committed to Wisconsin, he said Madison truly felt like home.
The Tallmadge, Ohio three-star receiver was so sure of his decision to pick the Badgers that he canceled a visit to Illinois and pledged to Wisconsin as his official visit this summer ended.
But in recent days, the prolific receiver who has posted excellent stats in both his junior and senior seasons backed off his pledge to the Badgers.
As of Friday, Dixon had not put together any new list of schools and it did not seem like he was preparing to make a flip. Instead, Wisconsin’s tough season, getting rid of coach Paul Chryst and the relative uncertainty of the future coaching situation led to his decommitment.
Dixon becomes the second receiver along with Las Vegas Bishop Gorman’s Trech Kekahuna to decommit from the Badgers this month and the third prospect overall as three-star DL Jamel Howard from Chicago Marist also backed off his pledge.
No receivers are currently committed to the Badgers.
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LOCAL REACTION
Receiver wasn't a huge need for Wisconsin in the 2023 class, largely because the entire scholarship room could return next spring. But with Collin Dixon no longer on the Badgers’ commit list, UW, which also lost Trech Kekahuna a few weeks ago, does not have a wide out committed in the senior cycle.
Dixon, who visited Illinois last weekend, is having a huge fall at Tallmadge High School in Ohio. Through 12 games, he's racked up 88 catches for 1,493 yards and 19 touchdowns through the air. Dixon’s versatility made him one of the more intriguing commits in this class for the Badgers. Now, the staff is left scrambling for an impact receiver with the early signing period just a few weeks away. Chance Fitzgerald is an option for Wisconsin, but time is running out to get him on campus. - Jon McNamara, BadgerBlitz.com
Sting factor: 7
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NATIONAL REACTION
Wisconsin’s entire receiving corps could return next season and, without sounding flippant, is that necessarily a good thing? The Badgers’ offense is not lighting up the scoreboard and while there is talent among the receivers, a fresh injection - by someone like Dixon - would have been very welcome. The three-star Ohio prospect catches a lot of passes, he makes things happen with the ball in his hands and given the opportunity, he could be a special player in Wisconsin’s system or anywhere else as well. With no receivers at all committed, that is worrisome for an offense that will always rely on the run but also needs a spark - Adam Gorney, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 7
