It has been an incredible ride for the Illinois football program the past few seasons.
None of the success would have been possible without quarterback Luke Altmyer. He joined the Illini three seasons ago, and ever since, winning has been a priority.
Altmyer has now had back-to-back seasons of eight wins or more, and he is knocking on the door of making that back-to-back nine wins or more. The time he spent in Champaign has been special, and on Sunday, Altmyer posted a video recapping his journey.
Illini ♾️ pic.twitter.com/vl7LAK75cM
— Luke Altmyer (@lukealtmyer9) December 28, 2025
If you think about it for a second, the ending to Altmyer’s career at Illinois is kind of a full-circle moment. He spent two seasons at Ole Miss, where he didn’t get to play much.
Altmyer then transfers out and lands at Illinois. After three seasons, he is now ending his career in a big game against the conference he left, the SEC.
The run with the Illini has been legendary, too. He has accumulated 7,411 yards, 56 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions in three seasons. This doesn’t even include his incredible running ability, for which he has racked up 687 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
The transition from Luke Altmyer is going to be difficult for the Illinois football program
Illinois fans have rarely seen winning at this level, and if we notch a victory over Tennessee, I can say that our fans have literally never seen winning at this level.
Altmyer has elevated Illinois to contenders for a College Football Playoff spot, which is something I never thought I would say. He has had special moments, and the success of the field will be difficult to replicate.
Bret Bielema has a monumental task on his hands. What he has done is give fans hope. We have expectations now, and the transition from Altmyer to the next era will be a delicate one. The next quarterback has to keep the winning culture. It will be an interesting offseason for the Illini.