Luke Altmyer Announces Return to Illinois Football for 2025 Season

The Illini's junior quarterback, who may have been contemplating the transfer portal, made his return official Saturday

Nov 23, 2024; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) scrambles during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The wait for Illinois football – though relatively short – is over.

On Saturday, Illini junior quarterback Luke Altmyer announced that he would return to the team in 2025, after speculation that he (like so many players in college football today) might consider a transfer to another school to use his final year of eligibility.

Altmyer made the announcement during a timeout in the Illini basketball team's afternoon game against top-ranked Tennessee at the sold-out State Farm Center in Champaign.

Altmyer passed for 2,543 yards, 21 touchdowns and only five interceptions in leading Illinois to a 9-3 regular-season record and a No. 20 ranking in the AP poll. The Illini will attempt to match its best-ever win total (10) against No. 15 South Carolina at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida, on New Year's Eve, Dec. 31.

Altmyer put up excellent numbers in his second season in Champaign, but he also showed in 2023 plenty of flashes of what was to come. Over his two season with the Illini, he has led five game-winning drives in the final minute or overtime – two more than any other active quarterback in college football. In 2024, Altmyer has thrown three game-winning touchdown passes in the final minute or overtime – also an NCAA high.

Although Altmyer has lost his favorite target in receiver Pat Bryant, who opted out of the Citrus Bowl to enter the NFL Draft, the Illini were one of the youngest teams in the FBS in 2024 and still have time to make key additions through the portal for next season. With Altmyer back in the fold, 10 wins may just be in play again in 2025.

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