In what could be a pivotal decider of Kansas football bowl eligibility, Week 2 opponent Illinois has named their starting quarterback for the season.
The Kansas Jayhawks begin their season against Missouri State, an FCS school that Lance Leipold‘s unit should be able to blow by fairly easily. However, the team will face a massive test in the second week of nonconference play when they take on the Fighting Illini of Illinois.
Former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema led the Illini to an 8-4 regular season in 2022. It was their highest win total in over a decade, and they made an appearance in the AP Poll for the first time since 2011. However, this won’t be the same team we saw last year.
Standout quarterback Tommy DeVito left a humongous void when he declared for the NFL Draft. Running back Chase Brown — who totaled nearly 2,000 scrimmage yards last year — is now a Cincinnati Bengal. Illinois also lost their defensive coordinator, Ryan Walters, when he took the Purdue head coaching job.
There are several question marks with this Illini team. However, one of the biggest ones was answered earlier this week.
Who will start at quarterback for Illinois vs. Kansas football on Sept. 8?
Bielema announced that Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmeyer had won the starting quarterback job following a strong showing in fall camp. Unless he performs so poorly against Week 1 opponent Toledo that he is removed from his role, Altmeyer will likely be the man under center against the Jayhawks two weeks from now.
Coming out of high school, Altmeyer was a top 30 ranked signal caller in his class. But after sitting behind Matt Corral and Jaxson Dart the past two seasons, he entered his name into the transfer portal this offseason — a decision that ultimately led him to Champaign. Now, he’ll have a chance to show why he could lead the Illini to yet another successful season.
Altmeyer is not as experienced as the average starting Big Ten quarterback. He has completed 28-of-54 passes throughout his short career, throwing three touchdowns and three interceptions. It goes without saying that he is not nearly as battle-tested as KU’s quarterback tandem of Jalon Daniels or Jason Bean, who have appeared in 61 collegiate games combined.
While there are defensive areas that Kansas football needs to address on the field, Altmeyer’s credentials suggest he won’t be the most formidable task. It should be a fun matchup between two up-and-coming programs and the first real test for both schools.
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