Luke Altmyer transferring: 5 possible landing spots
OXFORD, Miss. (BVM) – Sophomore quarterback Luke Altmyer announced his entrance into the transfer portal on Nov. 28. The signal-caller spent his first two college seasons at Ole Miss where he was able to register 317 passing yards, three touchdown passes, three interceptions and a rushing touchdown in eight games.
— Luke Altmyer (@lukealtmyer9) November 28, 2022
As a prospect, Altmyer was highly-touted, ranking as the No. 116 player in the Class of 2020 in the ESPN 300 and was a consensus four-star recruit. During his senior year, Altmyer totaled 1,653 passing yards along with 16 touchdowns and was an Under Armour All-American honoree.
With Jaxson Dart winning out the quarterback competition in Oxford, Altmyer is looking for a new home. Here are five programs where Altmyer could land.
North Carolina State
Following the announced transfer of long-time starting quarterback Devin Leary, the Wolfpack could be in need of a veteran arm. Yes, true freshman, MJ Morris played well in a few starts as did redshirt freshman Ben Finley in Leary’s absence due to injury, but this team is designed to win now especially after finding itself ranked in the Top 25 for most of the season.
This brings Altmyer into the picture. While the QB doesn’t have a lot of true game experience, he was a high-end prospect who worked with one of the better offensive minds in college football today, so he should be near the top of his abilities. Add the fact that he was recruited by the NC State staff as a high schooler and the connection makes a lot of sense for both sides.
Missouri
Another program that had interest in Altmyer while he was in high school, the Missouri Tigers are looking for an upgrade at the quarterback position to help build on a solid season. At Missouri, Altmyer would be able to sit back in the pocket and get the ball to top playmakers like wide receiver Luther Burden.
This would also provide Altmyer the opportunity to stay in the SEC where he could get a slight level of revenge against his former Rebels. Given his ability and experience playing in the conference, Altmyer could fit in well with the Tigers offense.
Mississippi State
This program makes the most sense on the surface based on Altmyer’s background. Altmyer grew up in Starkville and played for the city’s high school. His dad has also served as the Bulldogs team orthopedic surgeon since 2004. Mississippi head coach Mike Leach has also been able to get the most out of his quarterbacks which also has to be appealing to Altmyer.
However, the problem comes when looking at the roster. Will Rogers is currently the team’s quarterback and has been setting records since taking the job. He is also only a junior meaning he will have at least one more season with the Bulldogs. This would mean that if Altmyer were to transfer, he’d likely have to wait to start and would serve mostly as a primary backup, something that he could’ve done for Ole Miss. That makes this scenario less likely.
Georgia Tech
Following the announced transfer of starting quarterback Jeff Sims, the Yellow Jackets will be looking for another new signal-caller. Once again, Altmyer was recruited by Georgia Tech during his time in high school so there is a mutual understanding of respect in that regard.
However, Altmyer may not be the best scheme fit for the Yellow Jackets. Sims worked as a dual-threat quarterback, one of the better ones in the country, while Altmyer is more of a pure pocket passer. This may make things more difficult for the offense to flow through Altmyer as he likely wouldn’t use his legs the way Sims, who rushed for over 300 yards on more than 80 attempts, did.
Louisville
Now this one is a bit more complex. Yes, Altmyer was recruited by Louisville when he was coming out of high school. However, that was under the previous coaching staff led by Scott Satterfield. Now, Satterfield is at Cincinnati and Jeff Brohm has taken the reins for the Cardinals.
This could still work for Altmyer though. Brohm runs a spread offensive system that has relied more upon pocket passers than scramblers, much like Aiden O’Connell was at Purdue. Last season’s starter Malik Cunningham is out of eligibility and the team will need a fresh start with the new offensive system anyway. Perhaps Altmyer would give the Cardinals all they would need.
