.jpg)
4 hours ago
1
Illinois football coach Bret Bielema was never worried that his quarterback, Luke Altmyer, would leave Champaign.
Bielema sought out his best interest, sharing with select media members Thursday at the team's final spring media availability that the soon-to-be third-year starter may have toyed with declaring for the NFL Draft but never anything outside of it.
"0.0 [percent]," Bielema said regarding whether Altmyer considered entering the spring transfer portal. "[It's] because of the person you guys know he is. I think the outside world will say it, but literally, no [I didn't think he would]. Did I have concerns? I had more concerns about [him going to] the NFL than I did [him staying in] college, right?"
Upon reviewing Altmyer's draft evaluation, Bielema said his decision to return to Illinois was probably wise.
"When his draft day [report] came back as a sixth-[rounder], I said, 'Hey, listen, we can jump this [number up]. But again, when you know Luke and when you work with Luke and you're around Luke, his intentionality to his [football] purpose is really, really high and I think he puts a premium on people."
Bielema said Altmyer's biggest hurdle this fall is going to be redefining his game with small changes to adjust to a post-Illinois NFL career.
📲 Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
"That next transition [to the NFL], he's gonna have without me, right?" Bielema said. "I'm not going to be the head coach of his NFL team when he makes that jump, right? He's gonna have to know what's coming at him [defensively] before that moment arrives because it's going to be different than the one he navigated now."
Bielema said that once offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. was retained long-term under Bielema, Altmyer knew returning for his final season was a done deal.
In four months, Altmyer is going to find out whether his decision to stay in college is going to pay off. The Illini are coming off a 10-3 season this past year, narrowly missing the College Football Playoff.
English (US)