It’s been just two games for Illinois in the 2025 season, and we have already seen enough clutch plays, an improved ability under pressure, and red-zone mastery from QB1 Luke Altmyer. For instance, that third-quarter strike with Duke trailing 13-14 for a 4-yard touchdown was a game-changing moment in Week 2, as Illinois steamrolled Duke 45-19 with a dominant Luke Altmyer showing in the second half. And now, the excitement around the QB, improving on his 2024 season (2,717 passing yards), is so high that even rival coaches are drawing up special plans to tackle the guy.

“He’s a really good college quarterback who will win a s— ton of games there…He’s good at everything he does,” said one rival coach to The Athletic. While another competing head coach went on to point out the quality in Bret Bielema’s squad, facilitating Luke Altmyer’s stellar record. “They’re a good team because they have good players everywhere who are very experienced and have all played in the same scheme for a long time,” said the head coach. Of course, what Bret Bielema has done at Illinois is truly remarkable.

In the 2020 season, before Bret Bielema’s arrival as the head coach of the program, the team had just 2 wins in the regular season, regressing after a 6-win season in 2019. Bielema started to turn things around, hiring new coaches and players from the portal. However, the game-changing addition for Bielema came in 2023, when Luke Altmyer transferred in from Ole Miss. The first season did come with its challenges, including missing games due to injury. But Altmyer found his rhythm finally in 2024 as he led Illinois to a 10-win season, including a bowl game win over South Carolina. That said, the team Bielema has returned with in 2025 is elite in its own right.

“They don’t have very many weaknesses. Jacas is a really good college player. But I don’t think they have anyone who is just elite. But now they have confidence. They have a self-belief now, and they did not have that two years ago,” said the rival head coach. And he is quite right.

Illinois’ O-line is anchored by All-Big Ten left tackle J.C. Davis, weighing around 325 pounds, and players like Josh Gesky and Brandon Hansen. Apart from that, the running backs in Aidan Laughery and Kaden Feagin have already started showing their prowess, with Laughery notching up 106 yards for 2 touchdowns already. As for Feagin, he is also elevating the team’s running game, having accumulated 122 rushing yards for 2 touchdowns already. Lastly, the receiving corps led by Hudson Clement and Elzy Malik has been showing its quality and reliability for Luke Altmyer, making the prospects of a playoff run quite feasible. But the best weapon for Altmyer is turning out to be someone else altogether.

Luke Altmyer’s chemistry with his teammates gives high hopes to Illinois

The Duke game showcased the offensive prowess and the areas where Luke Altmyer has improved. The scrambling plays were perfectly executed, and the QB went 3-for-3 in the red zone. In total, the QB notched up 296 yards at a 71% efficiency, earning an 85.9 QB rating. But the most crucial play came from WR Hank Beatty in the third quarter with 7:02 minutes left. And for Beatty, Altmyer became a running back temporarily.

“I just had to run in a run a little loop, you know, and flash my hands thinking it was going to be like a reverse pass or something. But when that call came in, I got really excited for sure, just for everybody involved. It was a fun play. That was one of my favorites of the day,” described Luke Altmyer. It was a decoy run with Altmyer lining up as an RB and Beatty standing under center. The chemistry clicked, and Beatty scored a touchdown. Luke Altmyer called it his “favorite play.”

“I enjoy playing for Hank,” said Altmyer as he signaled many such plays with the duo’s chemistry. Even so, the two past games against Western Illinois in Week 1 and Duke in Week 2 were against unranked teams. And while Western Michigan might not give too much trouble to Altmyer, Indiana, in Week 4, followed by USC in Week 6, along with Ohio State in Week 8, are the real tests that await the QB.