CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was named to the Davey O’Brien Award Class of 2024. Altmyer is one of 35 quarterbacks named as a candidate to win the 2024 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. Quarterbacks who were also nominated from the Big 10 included Penn State, Minnesota, Oregon, Ohio State, and Indiana.

The next step in the process to select a winner will be to narrow the award’s 16 semifinalists from the 35 quarterbacks. The semifinalists will be chosen based on voting from the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, and bonus ballots awarded from the first round of the Davey O’Brien Fan Vote. For the fifth straight year, the Fan Vote will take place on the award’s three social media platforms—Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (X)—and the top five vote earners on each platform will get bonus committee member ballots to be added to the votes cast by the National Selection Committee.

To participate in the Fan Vote, fans must like the original Davey O’Brien Award (@daveyobrien) post highlighting their quarterback. First-round voting will close Friday, Nov. 8 at 10:59 p.m. The semifinalists will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

The Davey O’Brien Foundation was created in 1977, and the National Quarterback Award was first issued in 1981. In 1938, O’Brien, who was a star quarterback for TCU, became the first player ever to win the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, and Walter Camp Award in the same year. The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. The 48th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held February 17 in Texas.

Altmyer has led Illinois to a 6-2 record and a top 25 national ranking for seven consecutive weeks. His four-touchdown performance at Nebraska is still the only time this season a quarterback at any school has thrown for four touchdowns in a top 25 road win. He leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the nation in touchdown/interception ratio at 15-to-3.

Altmyer and the #24-ranked Illini host Minnesota at Memorial Stadium at 11 a.m.