CHAMPAIGN — Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. knows who his starting quarterback is in 2025: third-year regular Luke Altmyer.

So, who is No. 2? To be decided.

“We’re just spreading reps around almost evenly,” Lunney said after a recent spring practice workout.

Ethan Hampton, Trey Petty and Carson Boyd are in the mix to serve as Altmyer’s backup.

“Obviously, Luke’s getting the reps that he needs and between Trey, Ethan and Carson is mixing in there quite a bit,” Lunney said. “Just like probably every spring practice across the country talking about the quarterbacks today, a lot of good things and a lot of things you’ve got to get cleaned up. A constant teaching and learning process for all those guys.”

Lunney has said that the second spring is important for quarterbacks, which helps explain the jump made in 2024 by Altmyer after he transferred to Illinois from Mississippi. But Altmyer is the only quarterback on the Illinois roster who has actually thrown a pass with the Illini.

Of the three possibilities behind Altmyer, Petty is the only one in his second spring with the program. The 6-foot, 210-pound native of Starkville, Miss., redshirted last season.

Boyd is a first-year freshman after starring in high school at Cardinal Ritter College Prep in St. Louis and Hampton is a transfer from Northern Illinois who started 10 games last season for the Huskies. Yes, including the one when NIU won at Notre Dame.

Big shoes

Wide receivers old and new are trying to replace last year’s uber-effective starting tandem of Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.

Malik Elzy and Alex Capka-Jones are two of the returnees being counted on.

What does Lunney see?

“Responded very well. Off to a really good start,” he said. “Particularly (Wednesday) I thought both did some really good things. Their growth and maturity and experience in the offense is really paying dividends. They know this is a great opportunity for them.”

Unlike other spots on the team (running back, offensive line, secondary to name a few), there isn’t oodles of returning experience at receiver.

“There’s an injection of a lot of new faces,” Lunney said.

Collin Dixon and Hank Beatty are two more experienced receivers. Beatty is the leading returning receiver after he made 20 catches for 294 yards and one touchdown in 2024. Dixon put up similar numbers last fall with 18 catches for 264 yards.

“They’re really good football players who maximize every ounce and inch of who they are,” Lunney said. “Their movement skills are so really refined. They’re really under control of their body and their awareness and their intelligence. They’re just really complete players.”

Early contributors?

Spring gives the coaches a chance to find out which newcomers are ready to help right away and which ones need more time.

Patience is important, especially with the 12 early enrollees the Illini have on the roster right now.

“You’ve got to remember it’s the first time they’ve done the red area,” Lunney said. “It’s the first time they’ve done third down. It’s the first time they’ve done the weight room. It’s the first time they’ve learned where to eat, where to dress. Every day is a new day.

“The beauty of that is when you get to the fall, it’s now their second time around.”

Lining up

With four starters returning on the Illinois offensive line in J.C. Davis at left tackle, Josh Gesky at left guard, Josh Kreutz at center and Melvin Priestley at right tackle, the real position battles are for the backup spots.

“Holistically, I like where we’re at with that group,” Lunney said. “The way they’re working and working together. We’re moving guys around a little bit trying to experiment with depth.”

In a perfect world, the drop in performance from starter to backup would be negligible.

Smile on his face

Early in his Illinois career, Lunney found himself running out of healthy running backs.

Less likely to happen now, with a handful of experienced players returning.

Josh McCray rushed for a team-high 609 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Aidan Laughery had his best season at Illinois, with the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley graduate compiling 589 yards and four touchdowns.

A hip injury ended Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond graduate Kaden Feagin’s 2024 season early, but he still produced 306 yards in five games. And Ca’Lil Valentine rushed for 212 yards in a reserve role as a true freshman.

Needless to say, the Illini aren’t lacking for quality running backs in 2025.

“We’ve got good depth there, and we play a lot of different backs,” Lunney said. “It’s going to be something we continue to do and hang our hat on.”

Bob Asmussen is a college football reporter and columnist for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at 217-393-8248 or .