Illini Football 2024

OskieWowWow said:

I don't think Luke will ever be a 1st-2nd round pick purely due to size limitations.

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That's definitely a knock on him, but the NFL breaks all of its own rules when it identifies what it thinks are elite traits in a QB.

The #1 pick in each of the last two drafts were quarterbacks shorter than Altmyer.

He'll need to continue to perform at a super elite level to even have this conversation, we will definitely have gotten our money's worth if the draft becomes a worry, but I just wanted to introduce the thought into the discourse because I have not seen an Illini QB exploiting defenses at NFL prospect level in my adult life, it is remarkable how much he has developed.

(Prototypical measurables had a lot to do with it of course, but NFL teams fell in love with Daniel Jones under comparable circumstances.)

TheChief4Life said:

Can someone explain the reasons why Altmyer would enter the portal? I feel like he's made his best life at Illinois.

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He'd make more money entering the portal. We'll see.

If we get to a place where he's the Georgia/Bama target we all know he's gone, but again, that's a world where we have a very happy next two months.

He also loses two really good wide receivers in Bryant and Franklin, though he has some connections with Elzy, Hollins, Dixon, and Beatty. I think we are good but it's the wild west.

JucoIllini10 said:

The repercussions of Sed McConnell being the only d-line prep recruit from 2021 class followed by zero for the 2022 class.

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The guys we have are solid players but they were developmental recruits with very few offers. They are players that should wait until they have been in the program a few years before they had big roles. We lose Briggs and Edward’s so DT will be a huge need

Ander1345 said:

He also loses two really good wide receivers in Bryant and Franklin, though he has some connections with Elzy, Hollins, Dixon, and Beatty. I think we are good but it's the wild west.

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Plus we also will return Rusk,arkin and the entire rb room. If we can keep our guys and add a transfer wr we will be very good

GrayGhost77 said:

Keeping Altmeyer for one more year should absolutely 100% be our number one priority for next year. Followed by improving our D line. If we can get him back, shore up the d-line, and keep our top players happy we have a chance to be really good next year with all that we have returning plus the expected development of those returning players. Playoff caliber good. Please, please football gods (and NIL coffers) let it happen.

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The opportunity is there to win 8+ games this year ... we are over halfway there with two of our more difficult road games out of the way. If we achieve that, I predict that our NIL will improve significantly going into next year. While Illini fans are understandably fickle about football after all the heartache and while it just simply takes sustained success to TRULY build up a fan base, the potential fans/donors are obviously there ... just from a math perspective.

Ander1345 said:

He also loses two really good wide receivers in Bryant and Franklin, though he has some connections with Elzy, Hollins, Dixon, and Beatty. I think we are good but it's the wild west.

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I'll bet my horses we bring in a WR or two. Not really worried about that position; I think some positions are going to be harder to find on defense

ChiefGritty said:

That's definitely a knock on him, but the NFL breaks all of its own rules when it identifies what it thinks are elite traits in a QB.

The #1 pick in each of the last two drafts were quarterbacks shorter than Altmyer.

He'll need to continue to perform at a super elite level to even have this conversation, we will definitely have gotten our money's worth if the draft becomes a worry, but I just wanted to introduce the thought into the discourse because I have not seen an Illini QB exploiting defenses at NFL prospect level in my adult life, it is remarkable how much he has developed.

(Prototypical measurables had a lot to do with it of course, but NFL teams fell in love with Daniel Jones under comparable circumstances.)


He'd make more money entering the portal. We'll see.

If we get to a place where he's the Georgia/Bama target we all know he's gone, but again, that's a world where we have a very happy next two months.

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Luke might be in a slightly different situation re the portal because his parents presumably are well off. Perhaps, money may be less of a factor than with some others.

If he continues to perform at the same level and comes back next year, he is also in a position to leave the university at the upper end of many Illinois all time statistical passing categories. He is more likely to leave a lasting legacy here at Illinois than in a year quarterback-for-hire situation at a traditionally more highly ranked school. And, (although doubtful given the its pro sports (Bears) myopia) if the Chicago media ever starts paying attention to him his NIL value could be competitive right here at Illinois. Maybe its wishful thinking, but there is a narrative there.

Luke has definitely taken a step forward this year. He's trusting his WR's and making plays with his feet.

The next step for him (to have a real shot at the NFL) is pocket presence. He's loose with the ball in his hand when the pocket starts to collapse and needs a better clock in his head. The fumble Sat. was a glaring example. First guy misses...but that's it....time to tuck and run or throw it away....instead he sets his feet again and get's smoked immediately.

If he can cut those negative plays by 50ish% and just recognize it's time throw the ball away, he'll get a good look from NFL teams IMHO.

I have faith in our NIL to pony up for Luke. I think the real question is whether he will be in demand among the true national title contenders if he were to hop on the transfer QB carousel one more time. Like Gritty said, if he is desirable to those types of programs, it says great things about the rest of our season. But is it really likely that Georgia/Ohio State/Alabama decides they want Luke to start over all of the other guys on their roster? Probably not. Could Luke leave for a team like Notre Dame? Maybe? But I could also see the QB carousel slow down this offseason, as teams decide that bringing in a mercenary for one year has had less than stellar results. So while Luke has certainly played at a level where he could leave for greener ($) pastures (NFL/title contenders), I am not going to be too concerned about that yet.

But man, could you imagine a year 3 of Luke Altmyer in this system? I certainly think my generation has never seen anything that promising in an Illinois uniform.

redwingillini11 said:

I have faith in our NIL to pony up for Luke. I think the real question is whether he will be in demand among the true national title contenders if he were to hop on the transfer QB carousel one more time. Like Gritty said, if he is desirable to those types of programs, it says great things about the rest of our season. But is it really likely that Georgia/Ohio State/Alabama decides they want Luke to start over all of the other guys on their roster? Probably not. Could Luke leave for a team like Notre Dame? Maybe? But I could also see the QB carousel slow down this offseason, as teams decide that bringing in a mercenary for one year has had less than stellar results. So while Luke has certainly played at a level where he could leave for greener ($) pastures (NFL/title contenders), I am not going to be too concerned about that yet.

But man, could you imagine a year 3 of Luke Altmyer in this system? I certainly think my generation has never seen anything that promising in an Illinois uniform.

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If this season is the best Illini qb season since Kittner (which I think it is), next season we would be set up for a ton of preseason hype. You'd have a team full of seniors for the most part and probably a top ten qb in the country. The worry for me, besides Luke possibly looking elsewhere, would be about the defense even with maxing themselves out being mostly seniors are still lacking in pure talent especially in the front seven.

TheChief4Life said:

Can someone explain the reasons why Altmyer would enter the portal? I feel like he's made his best life at Illinois.

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I would be very very surprised if he chose to do that .

I mean , in the end , he needs to do what is best for him , I just don’t think he would come to the conclusion that would be in his best interests .

jmo

Battle89 said:

I go back and forth about that PSU game. Optimistic me says what you wrote above, pessimistic me says we scored on our first and scripted drive and never saw the end zone (or even a FG) again. I think our best game was Nebraska, at least in how it made me feel about the overall team and season possibilities.

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Saturday will be our best played game so far

TheChief4Life said:

Can someone explain the reasons why Altmyer would enter the portal? I feel like he's made his best life at Illinois.

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Sure thing *rolls up sleeves*

A. Luke Altmyer has two things that are helping him here big time: (1) Barry Lunney; and (2) a pair of stud wide receivers. Bryant and Franklin are gone next year. Does Barry get a sniff at a HC gig somewhere or a pay raise into a top 10 program? If he does Luke’s probably not following him there unless it’s a top school but what offensive guy stays to give him continuity?

B. Think of Michigan. How much do you think Michigan would pay for Altmyer to come save their season right now? Idk what Illinois is paying him but I bet Michigan can find double that and then some. They aren’t alone. It’s pro-style paying now in the age of NIL. If a team thinks it’s a QB away, you’re gonna find whatever money you can to throw at a guy who can elevate your program. Luke’s showing he can go out and win you games.

C. Recall in my first point that his two best receivers are gone after this year. If they don’t lock up Barry, he may be looking at a scheme change too. Now, let’s say he gauges NFL interest and they say he’s likely a RD3-5 guy right now. He needs to show improved read processing and if he can he’s likely a first-round flyer next year. So he looks at his 2025 possibilities:

1 - 3rd-5th round pick, likely making around a million and a half salary or so, pushing 2M. Unlikely to see playing time. Probably setting himself up for a career backup role.

2 - return to Illinois. Doesn’t have his two receivers, might not have his OC, who knows what he gets paid. Lots of unknowns and we know how Illinois likes to follow up its successful seasons.

3 - play the portal. Get to hand pick your next move to a team that fits what you need and can possibly pay you more than you would have gotten riding an NFL bench, simultaneously increasing your draft stock and possibly positioning yourself for a heisman push and bonafide playoff push.

…I think, selfishly, returning to Illinois is the worst of those 3 possibilities.

Tl;dr - Illinois needs to pony up cash for Altmyer AND Barry and probably a pretty good WR if Elzy/Hollins don’t develop over the spring. Even then, free agency sure is tempting.

JucoIllini10 said:

The repercussions of Sed McConnell being the only d-line prep recruit from 2021 class followed by zero for the 2022 class.

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Jeremiah Pittman, Brian Allen, Trey pierce and Jamel Howard are all in state line recruits from that time period that would help us a lot right now’s