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Illinois announces starting QB for Week 0 opener vs. Wyoming

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Illinois is heading into a Week 0 season opener against Wyoming, and the program now has its QB1 heading into that showdown.

On Thursday, the Illini officially announced Syracuse transfer, Tommy DeVito, as the program’s starting quarterback for the season opener. DeVito had been battling Artur Sitkowski for the role throughout fall camp.

 

DeVito transferred to Illinois this offseason after 4 years at Syracuse. Though he eventually lost his starting job during the 2021 season, DeVito threw for more than 3,800 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 12 interceptions throughout his career.

The decision likely means Sitkowski – who threw for 704 yards, 6 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in 2021 while backing up Brandon Peters – is slotted in as the backup for the opener. Sitkowski does have a solid arm but struggled with accuracy in 2021 while completing just 50% of his passes.

Now, it’s up to DeVito to lead the offense to a solid outing against the Cowboys. Illinois will still largely lean on the running game led by Chase Brown and Josh McCray, but the team will also need production in the passing game out of DeVito and returning receiver Isaiah Williams.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.