College Football Athletes Urged to 'Eliminate' Ego by Big Ten QB

There's certainly a new-school vs. old-school split in college football. Old-timers who remember the hard-bitten days of sticking it out and waiting one's turn seem to be losing control of the college game. NIL checks and instant gratification seem to be winning the day. But one new-school guy dropped an old-school message.

Altmyer on the college football culture

Illinois QB Luke Altmyer recently discussed the college football culture with On3Sports and came down on the side of team. "It's so easy to be selfish," Altmyer admitted to On3. "We forget that football's the greatest team sport in the land. Without the team, without the people around you, you're pretty broken.... I think eliminating... the ego is the No. 1 priority... in this realm of college football today."

Altmyer's comments certainly land within reality. He himself is a veteran of the transfer portal. Altmyer picked Ole Miss out of high school and threw 54 passes in two seasons in Oxford. After the 2022 season, he transferred to Illinois.

With the Illini, Altmyer saw his stock rise steadily. He was competent in 2023 and then sharp in 2024, throwing for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns. After such a productive rise, Altmyer certainly could have hit the transfer portal again.

"With all the dollars that are in place now and all the cultures and traditions that are trying to get you to come play for them, it was crazy," said Altmyer. "I wanted to be a part of a program that was bigger than myself."

Altmyer stayed at Illinois and led the Illini to another solid season, passing for 3,007 yards and 22 scores. He's now preparing for a crack at the NFL, but had no compunction about a message of respecting the team concept and not necessairly turning into a profiteer.

QBs who Have Struggled With NIL Decisions

Plenty of players could stand to learm from Altmyer. Washington QB Demond Williams briefly planned to enter the transfer portal before a messy situation was ultimately resolved with his return to Washington. Williams has recently admitted that he made a mistake based on bad advice.

In the spring of 2025, Tennessee QB Nico Iamaleava became embroiled in an NIL dispute with Tennessee. He ultimately left school and ended up suffering through a brutal season at UCLA. While Iamaleava hasn't made significant public comments about his decision, it's hard not to see his portal decision as a massive failure.

Meanwhile many players who enter the portal see the door end up slamming behind them and they lose their spots in the sport. Altmyer's cautionary throughts are certainly reasonable, but will they be heard?

Washington QB Demond Williams nearly made what he terms a mistake by trying to jump into the transfer portal. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images