Bob Asmussen | Altmyer finding his place in Big Ten QB hierarchy

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CHAMPAIGN — Pick an activity, any activity. No matter what the task, it always goes better the second time around.

And so it is for starting quarterbacks.

Illinois’ Luke Altmyer followed Tommy DeVito at Illinois in 2023 with mixed results. He threw 13 touchdown passes, fine. He hit 65 percent of his attempts, solid. But he threw 10 interceptions to the other team, way too many.

Altmyer’s first season running the Illinois offense ended with him on the bench against Indiana, Iowa and Northwestern, replaced by Ball State transfer John Paddock. The grandson of Illini great John Wright will always be remembered for his miracle finish against Minnesota and a 507-yard game against Indiana. He is out of eligibility.

Technically, there is competition in the Illinois quarterback room. But coach Bret Bielema made it clear Altmyer is the guy.

The Mississippi transfer is scheduled to talk to the media Wednesday at the Smith Center. He will say all the right things, making sure to praise his teammates and coaches and not take too much credit himself.

Altmyer actually has two years of eligibility and is listed as a junior. My hunch is he won’t be back in 2025. Instead, he will take his shot at the NFL and turn the team over to understudy Donovan Leary.

Leary will get his first snap as a college player this season. He has been on the team since 2022, redshirting his first year and watching and learning some more his second. Certainly, offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. will get Leary on the field early in the season.

Rank and file

The Big Ten will have more starting quarterbacks this season — 18 — than ever before. Thanks to the new teams, Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington.

The Ducks have the best of the 18: Dillon Gabriel. He starred at UCF and Oklahoma and now has the keys to Dan Lanning’s offense. He is considered among the Heisman Trophy favorites going into the 2024 season.

Gabriel threw for 3,660 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2023, with only six interceptions. Gabriel connected on 69 percent of his throws. He ran for 373 yards and 12 more scores.

Who else is in the upper tier with Gabriel? Ohio State’s Will Howard is coming off a winning season at Kansas State. He hit 61 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns and a bit-on-the-high-side 10 picks. He can also run, scoring nine more times on the ground. Howard is an upgrade at the position for the Buckeyes, who are loaded everywhere else.

The other guys in the top tier are Penn State’s Drew Allar and his ridiculous 25:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and Washington’s Will Rogers, a Mississippi State transfer who decided to stick it out after Kalen DeBoer left for Alabama.

The next tier of the known throwers includes Altmyer, Iowa’s Cade McNamara, Purdue’s Hudson Card, UCLA’s Ethan Garbers and Wisconsin’s Tyler Van Dyke, a transfer from Miami.

Those five will try to move up to the top group during the season. Possible for all of them. Guaranteed for none. McNamara has the best supporting cast of the five and defense that will keep Iowa in the games.

Next, there is a swath of promising, mostly untested guys. Southern Cal’s Miller Moss looked like Carson Palmer/ Matt Leinart/Caleb Williams in the Holiday Bowl, throwing six TD passes in his most extensive action during the season.

Aidan Chiles threw 35 passes for Jonathan Smith at Oregon State, then followed him to Michigan State.

Michigan’s Alex Orji hasn’t thrown a pass in college, but did run 15 times last season. That has to help.

Nebraska is counting on a big debut campaign from freshman Dylan Raiola, the most highly anticipated quarterback at the school since Tommie Frazier. No pressure, but everyone in the Cornhusker State thinks he is going to be the school’s next Heisman winner. Coach Matt Rhule will be happy with a winning season and a bowl bid.

On his side

In his first season at Illinois, Altmyer learned Lunney’s offense and got to know his teammates. Now, all should be second nature.

“There’s certainly merit to this not being the first fall camp with Luke,” Lunney said.

The guys on the Illinois defense have noticed a difference.

“Man, he looks great,” defensive back Miles Scott said. “Taking care of the ball, making some beautiful passes.”

Scott witnessed Altmyer’s accuracy during Monday night’s opening practice.

“I was on the other side of the field and I saw Pat (Bryant) go across,” Scott said. “He caught it over his shoulder. The way he is putting the ball there is just amazing.”

It is more than just Altmyer’s passing that impresses his teammates. It’s his leadership.

“Luke is definitely becoming more vocal,” Scott said. “That’s a great thing to see. That’s our quarterback. You want to see that.”

Defensive lineman TeRah Edwards appreciates Altmyer’s transition to Illinois. Like the quarterback, Edwards joined Bielema’s team after opening his career at another Power Five school, Northwestern.

“Luke is going to do what Luke does,” Edwards said. “He’s our quarterback. We trust him. We believe in him. He’s in that position for a reason.”