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Jul. 31—CHAMPAIGN — Pick an activity, any activity. No matter what the task, it always goes better the second time around.
And so it is for starting quarterbacks.
Illinois’ Luke Altmyer followed Tommy DeVito at Illinois in 2023 with mixed results. He threw 13 touchdown passes, fine. He hit 65 percent of his attempts, solid. But he threw 10 interceptions to the other team, way too many.
Altmyer’s first season running the Illinois offense ended with him on the bench against Indiana, Iowa and Northwestern, replaced by Ball State transfer John Paddock. The grandson of Illini great John Wright will always be remembered for his miracle finish against Minnesota and a 507-yard game against Indiana. He is out of eligibility.
Technically, there is competition in the Illinois quarterback room. But coach Bret Bielema made it clear Altmyer is the guy.
The Mississippi transfer is scheduled to talk to the media Wednesday at the Smith Center. He will say all the right things, making sure to praise his teammates and coaches and not take too much credit himself.
Altmyer actually has two years of eligibility and is listed as a junior. My hunch is he won’t be back in 2025. Instead, he will take his shot at the NFL and turn the team over to understudy Donovan Leary.
Leary will get his first snap as a college player this season. He has been on the team since 2022, redshirting his first year and watching and learning some more his second. Certainly, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. will get Leary on the field early in the season.
Rank and file
The Big Ten will have more starting quarterbacks this season — 18 — than ever before. Thanks to the new teams, Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington.
The Ducks have the best of the 18: Dillon Gabriel. He starred at UCF and Oklahoma and now has the keys to Dan Lanning’s offense. He is…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bob-asmussen-altmyer-finding-place-144900634.html
Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
Publish date : 2024-07-31 14:49:00
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