Illinois Football: Illini receive commitment from No. 1 QB in Mississippi

The Illinois football program landed its quarterback of the future on Thursday evening.

Just four months removed from a berth in the ReliaQuest Bowl, the Illini’s recruiting cycle is slowly returning to work and looking toward future success.

After the departure of Tommy DeVito to the NFL last weekend, along with the emergence of Ole Miss transfer quarterback Luke Altmyer, the Illini added depth to the quarterback room with the commitment of Trey Petty.

Petty comes to Champaign as the No. 1 quarterback from Mississippi and a three-star recruit. At 6-foot-1, 187 pounds, Petty attends Starkville High School and is ranked as the No. 909 player in the class of 2024 and the No. 55 quarterback in the country. He is also the No. 26 player coming out of the state of Mississippi.

Petty’s final two schools came down to the Orange and Blue and his hometown Mississippi State Bulldogs, but he also had interest from the likes of Indiana, Georgia Tech, and West Virginia, too.

https://twitter.com/qbtpetty/status/1654274818710044672?s=61&t=akjT8THr-OpRoB9omhoC2w

The numbers Petty puts up speak for themselves – a 63.3% completion percentage, 47 touchdowns (passing and rushing), and over 3,000 yards of total offense were just a few of the many accolades to go along with a near-perfect 2022 season.

As a junior, Petty led the Yellowjackets to a 12-3 mark, including a state playoff appearance, before riding the wave to a 48-32 6A championship victory against Brandon.

Trey Petty brings a winners mindset to the Illinois football team

Petty looks forward to guiding future Illini offenses under the tutelage of offensive coordinator Barry Luney Jr., who has former ties to the Arkansas Razorbacks and familiarity with the Bulldogs.

"“His message is I’m the guy in the 2024 class for him, that I’m who he’s biting on right now,” Petty said in an exclusive interrview with 247 Sports. “He played at Arkansas [in college] and he used to play at Starkville against Mississippi State for both football and baseball but he never won in Starkville. He wants me to be his first win. That makes me feel good. Most schools probably have two, three, four guys that they’re targeting. He told me the other guys he’s looking at that he has offers to, but he said I’m the number one guy.”"

Petty becomes the third Illini from the Class of 2024 to give his verbal, as his senior season looks to be the one that puts him over the top as Illinois’ most-anticipated quarterback commitment since Isaiah Williams.

For now, though, only time will tell, as the recruiting spree is back in full swing with spring turning into summer rather shorty.