Illinois QB Luke Altmyer tabbed as a top Big Ten arm entering 2025

I still can’t forget about the pre-pandemic days when Illinois football was at an all-time low.

The excitement at that time was whether a single four-star recruit would even entertain the idea of coming to Champaign and playing for the Illini. We would ultimately miss out on the recruit the vast majority of the time.

Bret Bielema has changed the course of Illinois football. He entered the picture, and one of the first things he addressed was the quarterback position. Bielema inherited Brandon Peters and managed to still achieve something that had only been accomplished in three out of the prior nine seasons: win five games.

Illinois then started to bring in passers that Bielema picked. Tommy DeVito was a great get. Luke Altmyer then joined the program. He had a slow first year, but the floor for the Illini was set, five wins. That is the lowest we are going.

Altmyer came back last season and lit the world on fire. He easily had one of the best seasons by an Illinois quarterback since the turn of the century. Winning 10 games for the first time since 2001 is a massive accomplishment. Altmyer has unfinished business, though.

Bielema was able to bring Altmyer back this season. He is slated to start and be great for the Illini, and now the national media is taking notice. On Tuesday, Andy Staples of On3.com posted the top 10 quarterbacks in the Big Ten entering the 2025 campaign.

No. 1 overall is Penn State’s Drew Allar. He has a ton of experience and is hopeful for the Heisman Trophy. Who is No. 2 on the list?

Luke Altmyer.

Staples has Altmyer as the No. 2 quarterback in the Big Ten. He is ahead of experienced transfer Fernando Mendoza for Indiana. High-priced Nico Iamaleava for UCLA is No. 4. Rounding out the top 10 includes No. 5 Dante Moore (Oregon), No. 6 Dylan Raiola (Nebraska), No. 7 Julian Sayin (Ohio State), No. 8 Bryce Underwood (Michigan), No. 9 Desmond Williams Jr. (Washington), and No. 10 Mark Gronowski (Iowa).

Experience and improvement are what have Luke Altmyer in the elite status of the Big Ten

Just seeing an Illinois quarterback among the top 10 in the Big Ten is astonishing. Pre-DeVito, that wouldn’t have happened. I remember the days we couldn’t even sniff double-digit touchdown passes. Now, we have a top two quarterback in the conference.

Altmyer’s numbers last season were pretty solid. He threw for 2,717 yards, 22 touchdowns, and six interceptions. I would imagine he expands on those numbers in 2025 as well. That is a big reason he is one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten.

I think Altmyer’s experience, and the other quarterback’s lack of experience, is another reason he is so high. Altmyer is entering year three at Illinois. He is comfortable in the offense, and he is ready to have a big year. He is competing in a Big Ten that is going through a quarterback shift.

Mendoza, Iamaleava, Underwood, and Gronowski are all new to their system they will run in 2025. Moore threw eight passes last season for Oregon, and Sayin threw 12 passes for Ohio State. Raiola and Williams Jr. are the two most experienced FBS passers in the top 10, next to Altmyer and Allar.

This should be a huge season for Altmyer. He is getting a lot of love, and Illinois is poised to win a lot of games. Starting strong is going to be key.