Illinois Football: Accuracy of Tommy DeVito is unmatched since 2000

So far through eight games of the 2022 campaign, the Illinois football team has had a magical run.

This has been something I have dreamed about for years. The Illini are not only a good team again, but we are in the running for the Big Ten West crown.

Starting the season 7-1 has been fun. There is plenty of credit to go around for the great beginning to what could end up being the best season since 2001.

You can point to the great play of running back, Chase Brown. He eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark a couple of games ago, and the talented ball carrier is on pace to set the Illinois single-season rushing record.

I think we should all give a ton of credit to the Illinois defense as well. We have one of the most feared defensive units in the country, and as of right now, teams are only scoring 10.1 points per game on us, which ranks No. 1 in the nation.

With all of that being said, I would like to put our quarterback in the spotlight and give him a ton of credit too. Tommy DeVito has given this Illini offense a shot in the arm, and he has been a big part of why the Orange and Blue are in a great position right now.

Tommy DeVito is one of the best quarterbacks in Illinois football history.

It is a big statement to make, but I believe DeVito is one of the best quarterbacks we have ever seen suit up for the Illini. That is a big statement to say considering the talented passers we have had in the past. But DeVito’s efficiency is something that is completely new to me.

I went back through the year 2000 to see if any Illinois quarterback has had anywhere near the efficiency of DeVito. The quick answer to that question would be, no.

DeVito has played in eight games, and the only contest where he hasn’t thrown for a completion rate of 60% or higher was in the Iowa game. He went out of that game in the first half with an injury.

So, in seven out of the eight games, DeVito has had at least a 60% completion rate. That means 88% of the time, DeVito is completing 60% of his passes or more. I looked at previous Illinois quarterbacks in games where they threw at least 10 passes. The closest quarterbacks to DeVito since 2000 are Nathan Scheelhaase and Reilly O’Toole.

I didn’t mistype there. Scheelhaase and O’Toole are the two most accurate quarterbacks for the Illini, besides DeVito, since 2000. They both had a 60% completion rate or better in 64% of their games. Scheelhaase was 29-of-45 and O’Toole was 9-of-14.

Juice Williams only had a 60% completion rate or better in 14-of-44 games, which is 32%. Kurt Kittner, while only counting his final two seasons because that is as far back as football reference goes with game logs, had a 60% completion rate or better in 8-of-21 games, which is 38%.

There is a ton of credit to be passed around for why Illinois is 7-1, but I want to make sure DeVito isn’t left out. He has been incredible for this program. I have said it before and I will say it again, DeVito has brought stability to the quarterback position.