Tennessee has never faced Illinois football on the gridiron as the two prepare to face off in the Music City Bowl later this month to conclude the 2025 season. Despite the two never meeting on the field, there could be beef between the two sides entering the matchup.
The potential beef goes back to this offseason when Nico Iamaleava and transferred from Tennessee following spring practice and the Vols were searching for a new quarterback. There were a number of names floated around that Tennessee tried to coax into the transfer portal at the time including TCU’s Josh Hoover, Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson and … Illinois’ Luke Altmyer.
Earlier this fall, On3’s Chris Low reported that a SEC powerhouse offered Altmyer $2 million to transfer this offseason. Low never named Tennessee but that was by far the most logical option. Altmyer also spoke this offseason about turning down more money offered to him in the transfer portal to stay at Illinois.
“It was a difficult decision, but I know what’s important,” Altmyer said. “I know what is being created here, and the trust, unity, and connection that I have amongst my teammates, this community, and my coaches. The success is waiting for me here. It’d be foolish to pick up and start over and take a risk when I have a lot of trust that’s been earned and built.”
More From RTI: What Illinois Football HC Bret Bielema Said About Playing Tennessee in Music City Bowl
Tampering is common place in college athletics, so it would not be surprising if Tennessee went through back channels to try and get Altmyer to enter the transfer portal. But it’s not something that coaches often take too kindly to. Especially when it’s with a senior quarterback four months before the start of the season.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema praised Altmyer for sticking with the Fighting Illini and said that the veteran quarterback never called him to ask for more money when the unnamed SEC team came calling. There’s a good chance Bielema will downplay the instance and not take shots at Tennessee entering the game. But there’s reasons to believe he probably isn’t the biggest fan of Josh Heupel and the Vols.
The Fighting Illini entered the season with high expectations after going 10-3 with a bowl win over South Carolina a season ago. They disappointed a bit this year, posting an 8-4 (5-4 Big 10) record. Illinois lost by 53 points against Indiana and also lost to Ohio State, Rutgers and Wisconsin. Its best win came against USC back in late September.
Altmyer had a good but not great senior season, completing 68% of his passes for 2,811 yards, 21 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also added 188 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.
