CHAMPAIGN — Luke Altmyer will be the starting quarterback for Illinois when it opens the season at home against Toledo on Sept. 2, coach Bret Bielema announced Monday.

Altmyer transferred to Illinois in January after two seasons at Mississippi, where he started one game and appeared in three others last season. He beat out Ball State graduate transfer John Paddock and Donovan Leary for the Illini job.

Altmyer appeared in nine games in two seasons at Mississippi, and 247Sports ranked him as the No. 10 transfer quarterback entering 2023. He was a consensus four-star recruit in 2021 out of Starkville, Mississippi.

The Illini are picked fourth in the Big Ten West in the preseason media poll. Last season they were 8-5 and tied for second in the West at 5-4 — their most overall and conference wins since 2007.