Postscript, Rutgers

This tweet has been bouncing around in my head since I saw it Saturday.

My first instinct was to scoff at it. Illini fans, who have suffered through years of guys like Tony Petersen and Garrick McGee calling plays for quarterbacks like Matt Robinson and Jeff George Jr., surely aren’t taking this for granted. This is fully appreciated.

The more it lingered, though, the more I began to wonder. Are we, if not taking it for granted, at least unprepared for life after Luke Altmyer and Barry Lunney Jr.? Are we destined to only realize what we’ve got after it’s gone, like the Joni Mitchell song?

Obviously, that’s a bit of hyperbole. Fans of this year’s Illini football team know how important both are to the team’s success. It’s worth noting, though, that after seeing Trevor’s tweet on Saturday, I saw this one on Monday morning:

Sheesh. Robert already laid out Altmyer’s claim to being one of the greatest quarterbacks in Illinois’ history, but Bielema saying Altmyer is one of the greatest players he’s coached in his 17 years is high praise. I’m excited about the future of the quarterback room – and that’s assuming they allow Carson Boyd, Ethan Hampton and Trey Petty to battle for the starting job in 2026, not accounting for any outside additions – but it’s almost impossible to fully grasp the impact of the drop-off from Altmyer until it’s someone else taking snaps next fall.