5 Illinois football stats poised for a huge improvement in 2024

2. -0.7 turnovers - #120 in the nation

When you give away the ball more than you get it, that isn’t a recipe for success. The fact Illinois finished the 2023 season 5-7 with a negative turnover margin is nothing short of a miracle.

Illinois finished the 2023 campaign with a -0.7 turnover margin per game, which means we lost the turnover battle each game by nearly one turnover. This was bad enough to rank No. 120 out of 133 FBS programs.

Just by natural luck, this number should be better in 2024. I could see the turnover margin not just being better, but I could see it being one of the biggest number jumpers year-over-year.

Biggest Factor #1: Luke Altmyer’s efficiency

In year one at Illinois, Luke Altmyer was not a terribly efficient quarterback. Sure, his completion rate was good at 64.8%, but he only threw 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions.

Altmyer’s interceptions were a big reason why the Illini turnover margin was in the negative. He had a really bad four-interception game against Penn State and threw an interception in three out of the last four games he played last season. I fully expect a much more efficient Altmyer in year two of this Illinois offense.

Biggest Factor #2: Returning talent

Piggybacking off the biggest factor No. 1, I think the second biggest factor is the returning talent Illinois has on the offensive side of the ball. Altmyer now has a year under his belt in the Barry Lunney offense.

While Illinois did have some key departures on offense, the main contributors in 2024 will be returning players. Kaden Feagin is back at running back. Pat Bryant, Ashton Hollins, Hank Beatty, and Malik Elzy will all be leading wide receivers as well. The familiarity with these players, and the overall improvement of Altmyer, will give Illinois a much better turnover margin this season.