Losing players to the transfer portal is all a part of the game for the Illinois football team, but it is still sad to see some of the talent go.

I love to watch a former Illini recruit grow and develop into a solid player with the program. In today’s game, that is extremely rare. More and more players want to get playing time, and I don’t blame them one bit.

Illinois was dealt a transfer portal blow to the quarterback depth chart on Thursday. Just days after the Illini lost sophomore Cal Swanson to the transfer portal, Donovan Leary has now joined him.

On Thursday, 247Sports added Leary to the list of Illinois players who have entered the transfer portal. This marks the end of three years of Leary with the program.

Coming out of Timer Creek High School in New Jersey, I thought Leary was a great get for the Illini. He was a three-star recruit who was the No. 1231 player in the class of 2022. He also had a brother who was slinging it around in the college ranks, so I thought there was a chance Leary would develop into Illinois’ starter.

That never happened, though. Leary didn’t throw a pass for his first two seasons in Champaign. He then threw five passes this season, going 2-of-5 for 29 yards.

I wish Leary nothing but the best. I hope he lands with a team that suits his needs. With that being said, I am excited about what Illinois has at quarterback moving forward.

It seems pretty evident now that Illinois has their quarterbacks moving forward. Luke Altmyer is going to start in 2025, and he will be a senior.

With both Leary and Swanson out of the picture, it would make sense for Trey Petty to be next in line. The former 7A Mr. Football from Mississippi is a great dual-threat option. He is an extremely talented quarterback. It seems that there might have been writing on the wall that he was going to get the job after 2025.

Illinois then has Carson Boyd coming from the class of 2025. The plan above gives him time to redshirt and then be a great backup to Petty for a year or so before becoming the starter. While it is always painful to see players depart, the Illini have a pretty impressive quarterback room entering the 2025 season.