Former Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer is signing a UDFA deal with the Detroit Lions, On3’s Pete Nakos reported. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Last season, Altmyer had career highs. He threw for 3,007 yards, 22 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 67.4% completion percentage. Over the course of his career with Ole Miss and Illinois, Altmyer had 7,924 yards, 60 touchdowns, 24 interceptions and a 63.7% completion percentage.
As a member of the Class of 2021, Altmyer was a four-star recruit out of Starkville (Miss.) High, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. He was the No. 5 overall prospect in the state, the No. 21 quarterback in the class and the No. 207 overall prospect in the class.
Altmyer spent five years playing college football with hopes of getting to Indianapolis for the Combine as part of his NFL journey. During that time, he played for two coaches with vastly different backgrounds. He began his career at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin before transferring to Illinois under Bret Bielema.
“I remember as a kid, going into college, I wrote down in a notebook some goals that I’ve always dreamed about achieving,” Altmyer recently told On3 via Zoom on behalf of U.S. Cellular. “The Combine was, really, one of the four of them. Just being there and competing in the Combine, knowing I did some good things in college. To be able to live that out, I don’t take it for granted. Super stoked to do it. I’m going to make the most of it. I’m preparing very hard for it.
“The coaches that I’ve played for prepared me for it, as well. Playing for such an offensive mind in Coach Kiffin and the way he’s able to think out of the box, and playing for a more old-school guy and defensive-minded coach in Coach Bielema, who really changed the course of my career and believed in me and taught me so many things.”
What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Luke Altmyer
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein broke down Altmyer ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. You can read his evaluation below.
“Three-year starter with solid passing production relative to the lack of protection he saw in 2025,” he wrote. “Altmyer has experience in pro passing concepts and shows decent eye discipline/patience to give the play a chance. He throws with adequate anticipation into zone windows but a slower operation time and lack of arm talent hurt his chances of beating tight man coverage.
“Edge pressure sneaks up on him and he hasn’t learned to avoid sacks often enough. Altmyer could have a tough time beating out pro backups for a roster spot.”