Illinois’ best quarterbacks
Jack Trudeau has the most passing yards in Illinois history, 8,725 from 1981 to 1985. Since 2004, Nathan Scheelhaase has the most, 8,568 in 48 games. Katin Houser is 10th, with 1,663; 81 more passes Jeff George Jr. for 9th.
Illinois’ quarterbacks this season
- Katin Houser7 games, 237.6 a game1,663 at Illinois, the 10th-most since 2004.1,663passing yards
- Michael Clayton II2 games, 86.0 a game172passing yards
By decade: 2020s · 2010s · 2004–09
passing yards in Illinois history
- 1Jack Trudeau1981 – 19858,725
- 2Kurt Kittner1998 – 20018,722
- 3Nathan Scheelhaase2010 – 20138,568
- 4Juice Williams2006 – 20098,037
- 5Luke Altmyer2023 – 20257,607
- 6Jason Verduzco1989 – 19927,532
- 7Tony Eason1981 – 19827,031
- 8Wes Lunt2014 – 20165,900
- 9Johnny Johnson1992 – 19955,293
- 10Jon Beutjer2002 – 20045,190
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), through the 2025 season, which counts bowl games from 2002.
Compare with in · side by side
Every quarterback since 2004
| Place | Player | passing yards | passing touchdowns | wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nathan Scheelhaase2010 – 2013 · 48 games | 8,568 | 55 | 19 |
| 2 | Luke Altmyer2023 – 2025 · 35 games | 7,607 | 57 | 23 |
| 3 | Wes Lunt2014 – 2016 · 28 games | 5,900 | 36 | 10 |
| 4 | Juice Williams2008 – 2009 · 23 games | 4,805 | 34 | 8 |
| 5 | Brandon Peters2019 – 2021 · 25 games | 3,483 | 28 | 11 |
| 6 | Tommy DeVito2022 · 13 games | 2,650 | 15 | 8 |
| 7 | Tim Brasic2005 – 2006 · 16 games | 2,325 | 11 | 3 |
| 8 | Reilly O'Toole2011 – 2014 · 30 games | 2,319 | 18 | 11 |
| 9 | Jeff George Jr.2016 – 2017 · 11 games | 1,743 | 11 | 1 |
| 10 | Katin Houser2026 · still playing | 1,663 | 13 | 4 |
| +1,663 this season · passes Jeff George Jr. for 9th in 1 game at his pace | ||||
| 11 | AJ Bush Jr.2018 · 10 games | 1,413 | 6 | 4 |
| 12 | John Paddock2023 · 6 games | 1,278 | 9 | 2 |
| 13 | Jon Beutjer2004 · 8 games | 1,082 | 8 | 2 |
| 14 | Eddie McGee2007 – 2010 · 34 games | 917 | 3 | 16 |
| 15 | Chayce Crouch2015 – 2017 · 17 games | 852 | 4 | 9 |
| 16 | Artur Sitkowski2021 – 2022 · 8 games | 807 | 6 | 5 |
| 17 | Brad Bower2004 · 7 games | 658 | 4 | 3 |
| 18 | M.J. Rivers II2018 · 7 games | 547 | 3 | 1 |
| 19 | Matt Robinson2018 – 2020 · 11 games | 508 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 | Chris Pazan2004 – 2005 · 8 games | 474 | 2 | 1 |
| 21 | Jacob Charest2009 · 4 games | 382 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | Coran Taylor2019 – 2020 · 3 games | 379 | 3 | 1 |
| 23 | Cam Thomas2017 · 4 games | 375 | 0 | 0 |
| 24 | Michael Clayton II2026 · still playing | 172 | 4 | 2 |
| +172 this season | ||||
| 25 | Aaron Bailey2013 – 2014 · 13 games | 122 | 2 | 5 |
passing yards by decade
2020s
- Luke Altmyer2023 – 2025 · 35 games7,607
- Tommy DeVito2022 · 13 games2,650
- › Katin Houser2026 · 7 games1,663
- Brandon Peters2020 – 2021 · 14 games1,599
- John Paddock2023 · 6 games1,278
2010s
- Nathan Scheelhaase2010 – 2013 · 48 games8,568
- Wes Lunt2014 – 2016 · 28 games5,900
- Reilly O'Toole2011 – 2014 · 30 games2,319
- Brandon Peters2019 · 11 games1,884
- Jeff George Jr.2016 – 2017 · 11 games1,743
2004–09
- Juice Williams2008 – 2009 · 23 games4,805
- Tim Brasic2005 – 2006 · 16 games2,325
- Jon Beutjer2004 · 8 games1,082
- Eddie McGee2007 – 2009 · 24 games806
- Brad Bower2004 · 7 games658
Also at Illinois: running backs · wide receivers · tight ends · defenders · kickers · punters · Illinois record book
Method
- Every quarterback who played at Illinois since 2004, ranked by passing yards over his games there. Bowl and playoff games count.
- The numbers here start in 2004, so a quarterback who played at Illinois before then isn't here.
- A decade counts his passing yards at Illinois in its seasons.
- The record book's numbers are the school's own. Where they and the box scores differ for one player, the box scores are missing a game or count bowls another way.
- A quarterback still playing at Illinois is counted at tonight's numbers against the record book's, which run through the 2025 season.