LAS VEGAS — The Illini’s star quarterback Luke Altmyer has had a busy offseason, with transfer portal rumors and College Football Playoff hype swirling throughout social media and the sports world.
Altmyer took the microphone this week at Big Ten Media Day to field questions from the press, and many of those questions were centered around his decision to come back to Illinois despite receiving looks from other schools, including those in the SEC.
When asked about what made him want to stick around,
the 22-year-old senior made one thing clear: he had “no reason to leave.”
“Got a lot of good things going on here as an individual and as a team,” Altmyer said. “I can do everything that I want for my entire life, my future, hopefully moving forward in the National Football League, right here.”
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Photo by Craig Pessman, TCRAfter making what he labeled “an adult decision,” Altmyer is coming back to don the Orange and Blue for presumably one last season, but he isn’t the only one who’s doing so.
The Illini are returning all five of their starting offensive linemen from last season in J.C. Davis, Josh Gesky, Josh Kreutz, Brandon Henderson and Melvin Priestly.
Naturally, this is something that’s going to make Altmyer feel at ease in the pocket.
“It certainly makes a quarterback comfortable knowing he’s going to be protected by guys who are very talented, one, who work very hard, two and who really are prepared every single time they go,” Altmyer said.
While the big guys upfront are staying the same this season, the wide receiver room is going to be a lot different.
The Illini lost their two leading receivers from last season to the NFL, as Pat Bryant was drafted by the Denver Broncos and Zakhari Franklin recently spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad.
In the 2024 season, Bryant and Franklin hauled in 1,636 of Altmyer’s 2,717 passing yards and 14 of his 22 passing touchdowns, meaning there’s some big shoes to fill for Illini pass-catchers this year.
2. TD Pass from Luke Altmyer to Pat Bryant for @IlliniFootball pic.twitter.com/LI0nnFF9wU
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 4, 2024
Even though Altmyer praised the skills and depth of the wide receiver room for this upcoming season, he’s still waiting for that one player to separate himself from the rest.
“Probably the deepest room we’ve had, but you know, ready for that one guy to emerge as the alpha,” Altmyer said. “You know a lot of talent, like I said, but I need a guy who believes in himself, who’s going to be confident [that] when the ball’s in the air, they know it’s theirs.”
Whoever it may be that ends up taking that leap this season, whether it’s a familiar face like Malik Elzy or an incoming transfer like Hudson Clement, they’re sure to play a big role in the Illini’s offensive attack.
With the rumors of the past behind him and a highly anticipated season just a few weeks away, Altmyer is one step closer to leaving it all out on the Memorial Stadium turf in the fall.
