Luke Altmyer confirms he's staying at Illinois after rumors linking him to  transfer portal

Amid speculation he could throw his name into the NCAA Transfer Portal, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer removed all doubt with a social media post Tuesday afternoon. The Fighting Illini’s rising senior QB is staying in Champaign.

“Keep the Champaign Flowing…” Altmyer posted Tuesday.

Keep the Champaign Flowing…. pic.twitter.com/HOZXbGo8n7

— Luke Altmyer (@lukealtmyer9) April 22, 2025

Altmyer was among several quarterbacks that were mentioned as possible transfer fits for Tennessee following Nico Iamaleava‘s surprising decision to enter the portal following a failed NIL renegotiation. But Iamaleava’s formal commitment to UCLA on Sunday led to what many are calling college football’s first “trade” when now-former Bruins QB Joey Aguilar, the ex-Appalachian State transfer, re-entered the portal on Sunday only to sign with the Volunteers a day later on Monday.

Altmyer, the former Ole Miss transfer, is entering his third season directing the Fighting Illini offense following a career-best 2024 campaign. He threw for 2,717 yards on 60.8-percent passing and 22 touchdowns to six interceptions while adding 217 rushing yards and four scores on the ground.

Illinois QB Luke Altmyer calls out ‘disrespect’ from South Carolina: ‘They were calling us Syracuse’

In an action-packed Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Eve, Illinois came out with a 21-17 victory over South Carolina. According to Fighting Illini QB Luke Altmyer, though, they had a little extra motivation heading into the matchup.

Altmyer called out “disrespect” from the Gamecocks before the game. He specifically noted some players were calling Illinois “Syracuse,” which gave the Illini an extra spark heading into an intriguing Big Ten vs. SEC showdown in Orlando.

It’s part of a trend Altmyer noticed for a long time. A Starkville-native who previously played at Ole Miss, Altmyer saw the perception of Illinois as a program first-hand.

“It’s Big Ten ball,” Altmyer said after Tuesday’s game. “I’ve been hearing all this talk about ‘SEC, SEC, get in the Playoff,’ things like that. I’m just tired of the disrespect. I think Illinois has been a disrespected program for a long time. I know that because I lived in that area and in that conference. And I don’t think that’s the case anymore.

“I remember a couple days ago, we were at the Fun Spot doing a team activity with the other team, and they were calling us Syracuse. They didn’t know we were playing. Not that we needed any extra motivation, but that was all we needed to hear and we gave them that Big Ten belt.”

— On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.