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Illinois Football: Top 5 Illini quarterbacks of the 2010s

By Jalen Wilson

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 31: Nathan Scheelhaase #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini smiles after they beat the UCLA Bruins in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on December 31, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 31: Nathan Scheelhaase #2 of the Illinois Fighting Illini smiles after they beat the UCLA Bruins in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl at AT&T Park on December 31, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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DALLAS, TX – DECEMBER 26: Reilly O’Toole #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini throws against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs during the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl on December 26, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – DECEMBER 26: Reilly O’Toole #4 of the Illinois Fighting Illini throws against the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs during the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl at Cotton Bowl on December 26, 2014 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

4. Reilly O’Toole

The No.4 quarterback on this list is Reilly O’Toole. He spent four years wearing an Illinois football jersey. During those four years, he was the backup quarterback.

Usually, O’Toole only received minutes when the starting quarterback was hurt. Honestly, I thought he should have gotten the starting position his senior year.

In his first year, O’Toole played 10 games but didn’t have impressive stats due to a limited amount of playing time. He threw for 270 yards, 1 touchdown, and 4 interceptions. In his sophomore season, he played only eight games but his stats took a jump. O’Toole passed for 564 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.

You could start to see some glimpses of O’Toole’s scrambling ability during his sophomore year, as he rushed for 76 yards and 2 touchdowns. During his junior year, O’Toole only played five games due to injuries. His stats consisted of 141 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception.

O’Toole’s senior year was by far his best. Starting quarterback Wes Lunt got injured, which allowed O’Toole to showcase his talent. He threw for 1,344 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He also rushed for 263 yards and 1 touchdown.

Illinois had a 6-7 season and participated in The Heart of Dallas Bowl during O’Toole’s senior campaign. He was a big reason why Illinois got to that bowl game, as he had good performances against Penn State and Northwestern to get Illinois to six wins. If it wasn’t for O’Toole primarily being a backup, he could be higher on this list.

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