With Memorial Stadium’s 100th anniversary this season, Illinois football prepares to start strong as they take on Eastern Illinois University at 8 p.m. Thursday. It will kick off the first of three non-conference games this year.
After a not-so-exciting 5-7 record for the team’s 2023 season, alongside the disappointment of not making back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 2010-11, head coach Bret Bielema told reporters, “There isn’t a more exciting time for me in my life than to be the coach at the University of Illinois in 2024.”
The Illini enter the season with several new faces from the transfer portal, including junior defensive back Terrance Brooks, senior offensive lineman J.C. Davis and senior wide receiver Zakhari Franklin, the NCAA’s active leader in receptions. With Brooks, Davis and Franklin joining the roster, the Illini begin with a seasoned and experienced team.
Senior defensive linemen Ezekiel Holmes and Dennis Briggs Jr. are entering their seventh year of collegiate football, playing alongside 15 additional Illini who have all started in at least 10 games.
Franklin will play with another former Ole Miss Rebel, junior quarterback Luke Altmyer, who enters his second season playing for the Illini. While Altmyer and Franklin missed being each other’s teammates by a season in Mississippi, they now get their shot and will likely be the team’s number-one duo through the air.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Despite being the starting quarterback who threw over 1,800 yards with more than 10 touchdown passes, former Illini John Paddock replaced Altmyer as the starting quarterback in the latter half of the season and secured the Illini a handful of wins. However, with Paddock officially out of eligibility, Altmyer gets a second chance.
His number one option may be new to the Illinois team, but Franklin understands how the program runs and is familiar with the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is entering his third season here at Illinois after he previously coached Franklin at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
As for EIU, they had an 8-3 record last season in the Ohio Valley Conference. Illinois has a 2-0 record against EIU in the past, and under Bielema’s coaching, the Illini are 3-0 in their season-opening games.
