The 2021 Under Armour All-American Honoree was a two-time all-state selection as a junior and senior in Mississippi where he accounted for nearly 5,000 passing yards and 53 touchdowns. A Top 5 player in the state of Mississippi by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN, Luke was also ranked a Top 10 quarterback in the nation for the 2021 class after being rated a four-star prospect by all major recruiting sites.
Via Anderson Kimball, The Pantograph
CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer had been preparing for this day for years.
He fought tooth-and-nail in quarterback battles at Mississippi after entering as a four-star recruit, but came up just short. He entered the transfer portal in search of this kind of opportunity, and found a match at Illinois.
Then he won the job in fall camp, and it finally came and hit him. He’d get the chance to be a starting college quarterback and take his team out on the field.
"I knew it'd be a big day, honestly — a day I would never forget no matter if we lost the game or won the game," Altmyer said. "It's my first game here and first real start being that solidified guy. I knew the emotions would be all over the place.
"To see my family before the (pregame) walk and seeing the excitement and all the emotions pouring out from them ... and even after the game, it really was a full circle moment. It felt like it was right."
The debut performance from Altmyer was one to remember with a storybook ending. He finished 18-for-26 with 211 yards, a pair of scores and a pick through the air with 69 yards on the ground.
That last completion, a 33-yard fourth down throw down the sideline to Casey Washington, spearheaded a game-winning field goal.
By Scott Richey, The News Gazette
CHAMPAIGN — Isaiah Williams’ eyes light up talking about Luke Altmyer’s deep-passing ability.
Williams had his breakout season in 2022 operating mostly as a slot receiver in Illinois’ offense.
The idea was simple.
Get Williams the ball in space and let him put his high-level athleticism to good use.
But Williams wants to do more, wants to elevate his skill set as a wide receiver heading into the 2023 season. Developing into a downfield threat is the ultimate goal, and in Altmyer, he’s found a quarterback who can deliver.
“Truthfully, that’s his specialty,” Williams said. “He’s probably got one of the most pretty deep balls I’ve ever seen. Let’s you run up underneath it. Great touch on the ball. That’s his specialty. That’s his gift is his deep ball.”
By James Neveau, Yahoo! Sports
With Tommy DeVito heading to the NFL, Illinois needed an experienced signal-caller under center this season, and head coach Bret Bielema believes they have found the right person in transfer quarterback Luke Altmyer.
Altmyer joined the Illini after spending the last two seasons at Ole Miss, and Bielema says that he believes the former top-rated recruit has what it takes to push Illinois’ offense forward.
“He has a really good football IQ, intelligence, awareness, he’s a great person, and really delves into his relationships,” Bielema told the Big Ten Country podcast. “He’s got really all the touches you need as a quarterback. He can throw it in there in a tight window. He’s got a great deep ball, he’s got good velocity on intermediate throws.”
