Luke Altmyer
Buzz vs Tape
Fans hotter than the country
His own fans read him warmer than the wider college football conversation does — a gap of 33.9 points in belief.
Gonna miss Luke Altmyer man Sucks that we came into the season with playoff hopes and couldn’t quite back it up but yay for 9 wins and a bowl victory!
— IMKudaimi123
Also worth knowing:
Luke Altmyer
Picks you apart underneath and protects the ball. Luke Altmyer has played for two head coaches across five seasons and two programs. 2025 brought the first one: All-Big Ten. The receipt: 390 pass yds, 3 rush yds against Purdue — Week 6, 2025.
Low coverage — composed from the verified record.
- positional archetype classification
- head-coach lineage
- recognition record
- game log
Career Arc
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
Coaching Lineage · 2021–2025
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Bret Bielema.
2025 snapshot
Season context · Team result + system
Splits & context
Supporting Cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Bret Bielema
Awards
Player Standing · 17 rungs
Tier 3 · RecognizedR09 · All-Conference HM / 2nd team
All-Conference HM / 2nd team. Conference recognition has started.
Recognition
Production
Trophy Case · Confirmed honors
What the selectors said
ALL-CONFERENCE
All-Conf mention (2025)
All-Big Ten
Career stats
Signature game
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 5 · 2025
W 34–32
vs USC
328 yds · 2 TD · 0 INT · QBR 97.5 · 28 rush yds (5 car) · 1 TD
Edged out USC at home in a shootout.
How he plays
Play style
High-percentage passer who protects the ball. Loses the matchup on improvisation.
CFB Index positional classification
2026 Outlook
Illinois
2026 Depth chart
Returning starter
Quarterback · Illinois · editorial
Returning around him
- 52% of 2024 offensive production back (Solid continuity)
- 3 Illinois players drafted to NFL
- Transfer portal: -8 net (19 in / 27 out)
2026 Award watch
- Manning Award
- Davey O'Brien
- Heisman Watch
Illinois · Last season: 9-4 (AP #23) · Talent rank #64 · 2026 recruiting class #24
DNA match
Player DNA
Pocket Surgeon
High-percentage passer who protects the ball. Loses the matchup on improvisation.
His 2025 production profile sits closest to Brady Cook’s 2023 season.
Matches Brady on
Differs from Brady on
Through 4 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Eli Peters’s path through Toledo.
Eli Peters
Matches Eli on
As a graduate, his production profile tracks closest to Payton Thorne's graduate season at Auburn (2024).
Matches Payton on
Differs from Payton on
Player DNA
Players who play like Luke Altmyer
Heisman trajectory
Heisman Trajectory · 2025
Peak #29
Peaked at #29 this season.
Development
Development Trajectory · passing yards
2021–2025+1466%
Up 1466% from first season to most-recent.