Illinois' Luke Altmyer Skips Manning Passing Camp So He Can Spend More Time With Teammates

As a Mississippi native, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer grew up idolizing the Manning family.

Altmyer had another chance to attend a camp run by the likes of Peyton, Eli and Archie Manning but chose to stay in Champaign with his teammates this spring. Illini coach Bret Bielema saw it as of dedication for Altmyer.

"I got a text last week," Bielema said. "He said, `hey coach, I just got the invite but if it's OK with you, I'd rather stay here with the team. I thought that was going to make him miss four days of workouts ... He's kind of like saying, `Hey, been there, done that, I'd rather just stay here with the guys.' I think that's a huge step in the right direction."' 

Last year Altmyer threw for 1,883 yards and 13 touchdowns in nine starts. He is hoping to gain a firmer grasp on the offense this season. Altmyer completed 10 of 14 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns at Memorial Stadium in the one half he played.

"That's kind of the deal with me, being more assertive, more urgent in my game," Altmyer said. "It comes with a lot of things. It comes with reps. It comes with being more comfortable with what I'm doing ... I'm excited to move forward and looking forward to the fall and being able to showcase it." 

BEATTY HAS STRONG SPRING

Receiver Hank Beatty was among the players Bielema singled out for his strong improvement in the spring. Beatty will handle the kick return duties but Bielema said he's also grown as a receiver.

SINTIM ALREADY HAVING IMPACT AS LINEBACKERS COACH

It hasn't taken outside linebackers coach Clint Sintim long to have an impact. Bielema said he's already developed strong relationships with the players.

"When I hired Clint, I realized I was hiring a little bit different," Bielema said. "Clint is very intelligent. He played the position, a second-round draft pick. I wanted to give them somebody that brought something different to the table."