When Nico left Tennessee last year, the Vols suddenly found themselves in a tough spot. In response, Josh Heupel nearly made a move to poach a Big Ten quarterback who was a fan favorite at his school.
What 'elite' really means for Josh Heupel and Tennessee football in 2026
Backing up a bit, Tennessee ended up adding Joey Aguilar from UCLA, who had spent the previous two seasons at App State and went on to lead the SEC in passing yards after the regular season. He was a solid addition for Tennessee, but before the Vols landed him, they allegedly sent a hefty offer to Luke Altmyer, or at least that’s what Bret Bielema claims.
On Pardon My Take, the Barstool Sports podcast hosted by Big Cat and PFT Commenter, Bielema said that Altmyer was offered $2.5 million more to leave Illinois and play at Tennessee. He said:
“Luke was offered almost two-and-a-half more million dollars than we were paying him to leave us,” said Bielema. “And then we end up playing that team in the bowl game and beating them.”
Illinois HC Bret Bielema reveals Tennessee offered $2.5M more than what the Illini were paying for QB Luke Altmeyer last offseason 🍊
— FOX Sports Knoxville (@FOXSportsKnox) June 12, 2026
“Luke was offered almost two-and-a-half more million dollars than we were paying him to leave us,” said Bielema. “And then we end up playing that… pic.twitter.com/r1l9re2kyn
Tennessee allegedly offered Luke Altmyer a big sum of cash
Interesting. While Altmyer is by no means a bad quarterback, I couldn’t see Tennessee breaking the bank to bring him in. Then again, the Vols were in a desperate spot at the time. It's gotta be true the Vols made a run at him, but did they really pony up that much money? For that price tag, Tennessee could have gotten a much better option, in my opinion.
Overall, I don’t think Altmyer would have made Tennessee significantly better. Aguilar threw for more yards and touchdowns, while the two had nearly identical completion percentages. He's a good college quarterback for sure, but not game-changing enough to have made Tennessee a playoff-caliber team. Plus, Altmyer and Aguilar also went undrafted; neither was a big-time NFL prospect. The defense was arguably the bigger issue for Tennessee last season, which is part of the reason changes were made on that side of the ball.
What I find the most ironic is that Bielema was bragging about beating Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Come on, are we serious? You won a bowl game where Tennessee had around 20 opt-outs, including several All-SEC players. Let’s not suddenly act like a bowl game in this era of college football is some major measuring stick. It simply isn’t.
Bielema can laugh about keeping his quarterback and the Music City Bowl win, that’s fine. Tennessee is already focused on bigger and better things.
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