With the way the NCAA is nowadays, the offseason for any team, including the Illinois football program, can get crazy.
The Illini are coming off a 9-3 season, which is the most wins in nearly 20 years. This was a fun season that honestly saw Bret Bielema and the Illinois program fall a win shy of making the College Football Playoff. Taking down Minnesota would have likely gotten us in.
With that being said, this was the second season with Luke Altmyer at quarterback. From game one in season two, you could tell his progression. 2024 Altmyer was a much-improved product from 2023 Altmyer.
I would argue the biggest step Altmyer took in his progression was his decision-making. He was quicker with his decisions. He wouldn’t hold on to the ball nearly as long. Altmyer was also a more confident quarterback in the pocket.
But, like I said above, offseasons can get a little crazy. With NIL money being thrown out there, it has to be tempting to take the highest bidder and move to a new town.
In a recent interview with Tristan Thomas of WCIA, Altmyer alluded to that notion. When asked about what the future holds for the quarterback, he answered honestly.
“It’s such a crazy, crazy world that the NCAA has turned into. It changes by the day,” says Altmyer, “I don’t know what the future holds, I really don’t.”
Caught up with #Illini QB Luke Altmyer and asked about his outlook on next season and if he plans to be back at Illinois.
— Tristan Thomas (@TristanThomasTV) December 7, 2024
"I don't know what the future holds... but man I love being here"
He adds that comfort with this staff is important as he considers the future. pic.twitter.com/VYYP8Ivi3E
The lines above can scare any Illinois fan. Losing Altmyer would be tough, as he is comfortable with the system, and he has led us to great heights.
Luke Altmyer seems pretty locked in on returning for at least one more season with the Illinois football program
Did that interview with Altmyer start with some news that makes Illinois fans anxious? Yes. Did Altmyer finish the interview giving Illini fans confidence he is coming back? Yes.
After the first 30 seconds of the interview, Altmyer continues for another roughly minute and a half about how he loves Illinois.
One particular quote from the interview that stood out to me the most was toward the end. Altmyer talks about the coaching staff and growth.
“Obviously, with Coach Bielema and Coach Lunney, I’ve been under them for two years, and to have a third year with them, more growth would occur. I know what they want, understand them, understand who they are. Just like that, they understand who I am. That is a big, big factor.”
That is reassuring news that Altmyer is likely to be back in 2024. But if you want even more news to solidify the return of our quarterback, Jeremy Werner of 247Sports reports that Bielema met with Altmyer on Monday on his long-term plans. Altmyer’s response was to see who Illinois was going to add in the transfer portal.
#illini Bret Bielema: Met with QB Luke Altmyer about his long-term plan, and Altmyer hits him up about who they want to add in the portal.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) December 8, 2024
There are two huge elements for Luke Altmyer to think about when deciding his future with Illinois football
If I had to guess what Altmyer is going to do this offseason, I would say he is 85% staying with Illinois. With that being said, in my eyes, he has two big things to weigh: NIL and development.
The goals for Altmyer are going to come into play. What is his end game? Does he want to play in the NFL? Does he want to max out his revenue in the college ranks regardless of development?
If Altmyer just wants the dollars now, then I am sure there will be some team out there that can afford to offer more than Illinois. We probably don’t have the deepest pockets in the world, and if a big dog comes in and offers him a ton of money for NIL, then what can you do?
If development for the next level while also making NIL money is a goal, then what other place to do that than Illinois?
I mean, Altmyer is already making NIL money, and I am sure Illinois can come in with more to keep him happy. The development part is crucial too. Bielema has had two quarterbacks at Illinois. He had Tommy DeVito and Altmyer.
DeVito currently plays in the NFL and has a handful of starts in the last two seasons. He wasn’t projected to be anything as an NFL quarterback until he transferred to Illinois.
From year one to year two, Altmyer’s development has been huge too. I can’t even imagine what his development is going to look like heading into 2025.
So, the 85% chance I think Altmyer stays is based on his words and the fact Illinois can offer both NIL and development. The 15% chance I think he leaves is based on some other program backing up the Brinks truck. At the end of the day, I think we have our quarterback heading into 2025.