CHAMPAGNE — Illinois landed its quarterback. Ole Miss transmission Luke Altmeyer committed in Illinois on Thursday.
247Sports currently ranks Altmyer as a four-star transfer prospect and the #9 quarterback transfer on the market. with Tommy DeVito Altmyer, who was denied an additional eligibility waiver, is lined up as an Illini starter and potentially for multiple seasons as he has three years of eligibility remaining.
In two years at Ole Miss, Altmyer completed 52 percent of his passes for 317 yards, 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He lost a quarterback fight with Jason Dart earlier this season.
Altmyer was a four-star nominee at Starkville (Miss.) High School. According to industry-produced composite rankings, he was the 196th player in the Class of 2021 and the 21st quarterback. He chose to play for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss due to offers from Florida State, Alabama, among others , LSU, Oregon, Mississippi State, Missouri, NC State and Wake Forest.
What it means: DeVito is a one-and-done transfer, so Altmyer Illinois is bringing a talented option into the quarterback room that will only have two other grantees (redshirt freshman Donovan Leary and incoming freshman Cal Swanson) this spring with backups Arthur Sitkowski and Ryan Johnson also further. The Illini still have some concerns about the position, but Altmyer has a chance to take control of the quarterback position for several years and land the starting job he desires. Altmyer doesn’t have the experience of some other transfer options, but he does have some experience, including playing in the Sugar Bowl last season in relief from injured starter Matt Corral, and the four-star prospect has the talent to play in Illini offensive coordinator Barry to thrive Lunney Jr.’s plan Altmyer has a solid strong arm, was known as an accurate prep-passer and is an elusive athlete who can play with his feet. Check out Jeremy Werner’s movie room breakdown of Altmyer.
247Sport preparation scouting report: “Quarterback with relatively little frame, though not to a worrying degree. Enough size and frame that added a good amount of weight between junior and senior seasons. Controlled, accurate passer who plays with command in the interludes. Good touch with ability to throw feathers over second level defenders or pylon throws in the red zone Slightly active feet in the pocket Highlight movie shows eyes and feet linked by progressions Has some skills outside the pocket and makes some skillful ones Plays against his body and off script While he shows pace on midfield throws and in the short and midfield areas, he doesn’t show an elite arm on the big throws Limited yards per attempt compared to the elite national Quarterbacks Not engaging as a dual threat runner despite really good combination athletics We like als rising prospect a Power Five starter who possesses some NFL advantages. Further validation of physical tools may suggest an even higher ceiling.”