Illinois' Luke Altmyer Tabbed as Top Five Quarterback in the Country by CBS Sports

On the heels of a productive 2024 campaign which saw him throw for 2717 yards, 22 touchdowns and just six interceptions, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, a fifth-year senior, entered this fall as one of the most proven players at his position in the Big Ten, and arguably the entire country.

Here at Illinois on SI, we pegged the Illini gunslinger as the conference’s No. 2 quarterback in the preseason, yet other outlets weren’t nearly as high on Altmyer as we were, despite his experience and clear-cut ability.

CBS Sports low on Altmyer heading into Week Two

Aug 29, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) runs the ball against the Western Illinois Leathernecks during the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

In fact, few top QB lists had Altmyer featured at all, and even after a stellar Week One performance in which he threw for 217 yards and three touchdowns (on just four incompletions), CBS Sports tabbed him as the No. 31 quarterback in college football.

(Worth noting, Illinois’ season-opening opponent was an FCS squad in Western Illinois.)

But he followed that up with an even more impressive showing against a worthy opponent in Duke, going for 296 yards and three touchdowns, along with zero turnovers.

And more importantly, Altmyer outdueled the Blue Devils’ showstopper Darian Mensah. Behind their man under center, the Illini put together a top-notch showing, knocking off Duke in an assertive 45-19 win.

Click here for three things we learned in Illinois’ win over Duke

Altmyer’s ability to rally his troops, and will Illinois’ offense to the endzone in the first half with some miraculous throws (despite poor protection from his offensive line), combined with his calm and collected demeanor throughout the second half as the Illini ran away with things, was enough to earn him a new, much-improved spot on CBS Sports’ David Cobb’s list.

Luke Altmyer finds Justin Bowick to extend the @IlliniFootball lead 😤

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— Always College Football (@AlwaysCFB) September 6, 2025

Altmyer skyrockets up the list

Cobb moved Altmyer all the way from outside the top-30 to the top-5, listing him as the No. 4 quarterback in the country. Notably, that’s the highest any Big Ten quarterback is ranked, with Ohio State’s Julian Sayin the only other QB from the conference even cracking the top 10 (he’s at No. 7).

But the question remains: can Altmyer maintain his spot among the nation’s best? Well, ideally, he takes care of business against Western Michigan in Week Three, and then goes to Indiana, and truly proves himself in a matchup against a rock-solid defense (top-25 defense, per a key metric) and overall program led by head coach Curt Cignetti.