Good day! Welcome to Illini Inquirer AM, your weekday digest of all things Illini and a great companion for your morning coffee. Sign up for the free Illini Inquirer email newsletter to get it delivered to your inbox. Reading time: 4.5 minutes ✍️ The big clue: Altmyer’s big opportunity (Photo: USA TODAY Sports) Former Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer has a big opportunity in front of him. Detroit Lions backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is retiring (again), temporarily leaving Altmyer as the only other quarterback on the roster behind Pro Bowl starter Jared Goff, 31, and giving Altmyer a real chance to be a part of the Lions’ short- and long-term plans. More competition: The Lions placed Bridgewater, 33, on the reserve/retired list on Sunday and will reportedly sign Joshua Dobbs, 31, to a one-year deal. Agreement of 1,425 million dollars. But Altmyer should get the bulk of Detroit’s snaps in Thursday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals and the other two preseason games against the Commanders and Colts. Altmyer led Illinois to 23 wins in his three seasons as a starter and set Illini records for passing efficiency (144.31) and completion rate (64.4%) and is second in touchdown passes (57) and fifth in passing yards (7,607). Why he matters: Dobbs is a seasoned veteran who has a chance to back up the 31-year-old Goff, but Dobbs is a short-term solution. Altmyer, who signed a three-year, $3.1 million contract with the Lions, has a clear path to becoming a long-term backup for Detroit if he impresses. “It gives me opportunities and the standard is to play good football and no matter how many reps or what my role is, I have a job to do and my job is to do it very, very, very well at a high level,” Altmyer told Lions reporters on Sunday. “So I’m grateful. I believe in my abilities and I’m going to let him go, no matter what that means to me. What it means: Altmyer went undrafted, which was certainly a bummer for a great college quarterback, but he landed in a great situation for a winning franchise behind a smart, effective starting quarterback with a similar skill set, and with no clear long-term backup behind him. Altmyer has earned the praise of the Lions staff for training camp so far, and the Lions on the trot. “I played at a high level in the Big Ten and I’ve played in football games, but it’s a different level, and I think that’s the challenge: can you keep the emotions going because you can get really excited,” Altmyer said. “But trusting my abilities, trusting my preparation, trusting my teammates. I think that’s the word trust. So I’m excited about it. My family is excited and I’ll do the best I can. There’s a standard that has to be maintained to play the position and play good football, and I’m going to try to live up to it. It takes preparation and focus, and I’m going to maintain those emotions. I’m excited.” 📰 The Sidebar 🔒 The VIP Vault (Photo: Courtesy of Illinois Athletics) We have two great offers to become an Illini Inquirer VIP member. 60% off your first full year: Over $80 in savings on the most in-depth Illini coverage on the internet. If you are a fan, register here and save a lot of money. Plus, you get free access to Paramount+ after your first year of membership. $1 for the first month: A great sample for those curious about the Illini Inquirer. Plus, if you continue to subscribe after your one-month promotional period, you’ll get free access to Paramount+. A fast path to even more great content! Go VIP to get this info 🇧🇷 Guyton shines in AmeriCupAaliyah Guyton (Photo: Getty) Illinois junior guard Aaliyah Guyton scored a team-high 18 points to lead the Brazil senior women’s national team to a big victory. 61-48 victory over Colombia in the third-place game of the women’s FIBA AmeriCup South American qualifiers in El Salvador, Guyton, who was 8 of 16 from the field (2 of 5 from three), also had six rebounds and four assists. Guyton, a Peoria native, is on the Brazil team because her mother, Adriana Mafra, played for the Brazil team for 25 years and played for the Phoenix Mercury. Illini center Lety. Vasconcelos added three points and three rebounds for Brazil. Vasconcelos averaged 4.0 points and 4.2 rebounds in 13.2 minutes in five games for Brazil (3-2). Why it matters: Guyton was a leading player and scorer for Brazil and, in five games, led the team in points (14.4) and assists (3.8) and averaged just 1.2 turnovers. (29.6% of three). Guyton has battled injuries during her first two years of college, her first at Iowa, and Illinois has a strong defense of sophomore Destiny Jackson, senior Gretchen Dolan, senior Jasmine Brown-Haggar, senior Maddie Webber and LSU transfer Divine Bourrage, but the AmeriCup should build confidence for Guyton, who averaged 6.3 points on 38% shooting last season for the Illini. puts Brazil in the 2027 AmeriCup tournament, the qualifying tournament for the 2028 Olympic Qualifying Tournament.👀 What to watch on Monday🏟️ Illinois has a training camp practice at Gies Memorial Stadium on Monday morning that is closed to the public and open to the media for about 30 minutes of stretching, special teams and positional drills. We are scheduled to speak with DL Pat Farrell, LB Ismael Kante, DB Mac Resetich, LB coach. Roger Cooper and DB coach Corey Parker. That’s all for today. Just when you thought the White Sox were fading, they take two off the Guardians to take a 3.5-game lead in the American League Central Division. It’s fun to watch a winning baseball team.
