Illinois Football: Top 5 instant impact newcomers for the Illini in 2023

1. Luke Altmyer

The No. 1 instant impact newcomer on the Illinois football team is an obvious one. Quarterback Luke Altmyer takes the cake, as the Illini needed a new leader under center.

Coming out of Starkville High School in Mississippi, Altmyer was a four-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 196 player in the class of 2021. He was also the No. 21 quarterback in the country and the No. 4 player coming out of Mississippi.

Altmyer could have picked any team in the country, including Alabama and Florida State, but he ended up landing on Ole Miss.

In two seasons with the Rebels, Altmyer would see a backup role. He only had one start and would throw for a combined 317 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in his limited action. With three years of eligibility remaining, he decided to hit the transfer portal.

Illinois secured Altmyer’s commitment this offseason, and it was a big pledge for the Orange and Blue. He should come in and earn the starting job from day one.

Tommy DeVito was a great starting quarterback for the Illini. He had the most accurate season in program history in 2022. But DeVito is now gone and with the New York Giants. Illinois needed to fill this massive void, and we were able to do that with a four-star quarterback.

The fact that the Illini didn’t have a quarterback makes Altmyer an obvious instant-impact newcomer. I would imagine he starts every game this season for the Illini. Look for him to have a pretty big year as well. Illinois has a ton of weapons, and Altmyer just needed a chance to shine. I believe he will shine brightly in 2023.