QB Luke Altmyer sends Illinois coach Bret Bielema huge update before Music City Bowl originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If the Illinois football program needed a huge boost in the weeks leading up to the Music City Bowl against Tennessee Dec. 30 (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) it got it in the form of its three-year starting quarterback Luke Altmyer leaving no doubt how he wants his college career to be remembered.
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Friday afternoon, Altmyer took to social media to make it official: one last ride.
“I love to play, man,” Altmyer said in a 37-second video. “I love to compete. That’s what I bleed. That’s what I love. That’s what I breathe. That’s what I prepare for.”
Altmyer said there was no way he couldn’t complete the story with teammates who gave him so much guidance and support during a stretch that saw Illinois reach unfathomable heights in such a short amount of time – the laundry list is truly endless.
“Any opportunity I get to go out there and start a football game to play — especially with these guys, who I love so much, man — I don’t take it for granted,” Altmyer said.
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Neither does his coach, Bret Bielema. Bielema spoke fondly of Altmyer after the Illini accepted their bowl invite. Bielema hinted the Mississippi native might play, but wanted to let the 21-touchdown signal-caller do the honors.
“I just got a text from [Luke’s mom] Betsy Altmyer when I was walking in here and she said she thought half of Mississippi was going to be there in Nashville,” Bielema said this past Sunday. “”I was just glad one was going to be there from Mississippi.”
Bielema opted to take the high road when discussing the near season-altering poach the Volunteers had reportedly done to lure Altmyer away from Champaign.
“Honestly, I’ve never spoken about that conversation in any way, shape or form with Luke,” Bielema said. “One of the things I’ve really appreciated about Luke’s demeanor, his personality, is he’s just the same guy every day. To get one more game with him, to have an SEC opponent for him, is really pretty cool.”
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Now, Altmyer will have a chance to write his own story, the way he was always intended to be done: authentically.
“To go out of here as one of the most decorated players in Illinois football history, more than that he just stands for all these great things here at Illinois,” Bielema said. To have that moment for him is something I’ll cherish more than anything.”
Should Altmyer ride off into the sunset victorious, it would truly be the end of an era in Champaign.
A good one at that.
