Illinois' Luke Altmyer Makes O'Brien Award Watch List: What Are His Chances?

Altmyer is the first Illinois quarterback named to the preseason list since Nathan Scheelhaase in 2012. He was also named to the Walter Camp Player of the Year and Maxwell Award watch lists earlier in recent weeks.As a junior last year, Altmyer threw for 2,717 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 60.8 percent of his pass attempts. And the dual-threat signal caller got it done on the ground, too, rushing for 217 yards and four additional scores. Arguably most impressive of all, Altmyer has the most career game-winning drives in the final minute of regulation or overtime for any active college football quarterback, with five.

If the Illini have any chance of replicating last year's magic – the program's first 10-win season since 2001 – they're going to need Altmyer to be even better in 2025. Given that he lost his top target from a year ago in receiver Pat Bryant, Altmyer is going to need to find some hands he trusts early in the season.

What are Luke Altmyer's chances to win the O'Brien Award?

Although Altmyer is one of the more productive and savvier quarterbacks in college football, he would seem to have the slimmest of chances to win the O'Brien. There are plenty of other quarterbacks – Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, Drew Allar, etc. – who will put up bigger numbers on higher-profile teams.

What would improve his chances is if Illinois were to qualify for the College Football Playoff. But even that might not even be enough to put him over the top. He operates as a situational playmaker for the Illini, airing it out – and often connecting – only when his team really needs it, rather than as a matter of course.

Altmyer deserves whatever preseason hype he's finally getting, but national awards such as the O'Brien or Heisman – and even Big Ten Player of the Year – are likely going to be out of his reach. Expect him to make plays when he has to and put the Illini in position to win another 10 games again this year.

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