Colson Wells Signs With Illinois Men's Tennis
June 18, 2026 | Men's Tennis
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois men's tennis head coach Brad Dancer announced the signing of Colson Wells on Thursday. Wells spent the last three seasons at Nebraska and now joins the Fighting Illini with two years of eligibility remaining.
"We are excited to welcome Colson to the Fighting Illini family," Dancer said. "Since I first saw Colson five years ago, I thought he could develop into a big-time player. He can hit on the move and has good balance, and we think there's untapped potential in his serve. Lots of work to do, but Colson is a guy who will spend all day at the gym so we're excited to get him here and get to work with him right away."
During his time with the Huskers, Wells totaled 31 singles wins and nine doubles victories, most recently going 13-11 on the singles courts during the 2025-26 season. Posting the team's second-most singles wins, Wells competed primarily at No. 3 and 4 singles and went 5-2 on Court 3. He clinched Nebraska's win over Michigan in the first round of the 2026 Big Ten Tournament with a straight-set victory over Mert Oral. Ahead of the 2025-26 season, he qualified for the first-ever 2025 UTR Sports Summer Championship.
After redshirting the 2023-24 season, Wells played his first collegiate campaign in 2024-25, registering an 18-11 singles mark while going 4-3 during conference competition at No. 6 singles.
In the classroom, Wells is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten and three-time Tom Osborne Citizenship Team honoree. He was also tabbed with Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award First Team status in 2026.
"I chose Illinois because I believe the coaching staff is one of the best in the country and they have a great group of guys," Wells said.
A two-time Michigan state champion in high school, Wells intends to major in communications at Illinois.
