Illinois Football: Top 5 Illini quarterbacks of the 2010s

1. Nathan Scheelhaase

For the first four years of the 2010s, the Illinois quarterback position was stable with Nathan Scheelhaase under center. Scheelhaase started for Illinois all four years of his career.

Scheelhaase’s redshirt freshman season went excellent. He showcased his passing and running ability. His passing stats consisted of 1,825 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. His rushing stats were even more impressive, as he ran for 868 yards and 5 touchdowns. Scheelhaase helped lead Illinois to a 6-6 record and an appearance in the Texas Bowl against Baylor. Illinois ended up winning that bowl game, finishing the season 7-6.

After his first season, Illini fans had higher expectations for Scheelhaase. Through the first half of season No. 2, he met those expectations. It wasn’t until halfway through the season where his production fell off.

As a sophomore, Scheelhaase passed for 2,110 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. Through the first six games, he passed for 7 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. In the last six games, he struggled, only passing for 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He still helped Illinois get to their second-straight bowl game, as they faced UCLA in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl. Illinois ended up winning that bowl game as well, again finishing the season 7-6.

Scheelhaase’s third year was his worst as he dealt with injuries. He passed for 1,361 yards, 4 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Running the ball is what he did best that season, rushing for 303 yards and 4 touchdowns.

The final season in Champaign was arguably Scheelhaase’s best. He passed for 3,272 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Running the ball was not a big focus for Scheelhaase during the season, as his rushing stats took a dip. Scheelhaase only rushed for 271 yards and 4 touchdowns.

At the end of Scheelhaase’s career, he was in the top five in multiple Illinois football categories. He currently holds the record for most career yards and is third in career passing yards. Scheelhaase was able to lead Illinois to two bowl wins while getting in the Illini record books. It will be hard to find a better dual-threat quarterback for Illinois than Scheelhaase during the 2010s.