CHAMPAIGN — The drought is at 22 years ... and counting.
That’s how long it has been since an Illinois quarterback heard his name called at the NFL draft.
The skid at Illinois is going to hit at least 23 years. While Johnny Newton is projected as a first-round pick on Thursday night in Detroit and a handful of his teammates are draft hopefuls, none of them play quarterback with Newton fresh off an All-American season at defensive tackle.
Only two of the 18 Big Ten schools have longer draft gaps at quarterback. Minnesota hasn’t had a signal caller selected since Craig Curry went to the Miami Dolphins in the then-eighth round in 1972, a whopping 52 years.
Maryland hasn’t had a quarterback drafted since Scott Zolak went to the Patriots in 1990 in the fourth round. He had a nice career, spending most of his nine NFL seasons in New England.
The third-longest QB-less streak belongs to Illinois.
In 2002, Kurt Kittner got the call in the fifth round from the Atlanta Falcons (at No. 151 overall). Kittner earned the selection with a stellar Illinois career, capped by leading the Illini to 10 wins and the Big Ten title his senior season.
Had the 12-team playoff been in place that season (I was all for it even then), Kittner and pals would have been a lock.
Kittner still ranks second on the school’s career passing list, finishing three yards behind Jack Trudeau. Like Kittner, Trudeau led his team to a Big Ten title. Kittner is also third in career total offense, behind Nathan Scheelhaase and Juice Williams.
On his draft day in 2002, Kittner was with family in Champaign. There wasn’t a big party.
“I tried to keep myself occupied by doing other stuff and not watching it,” he said. “You do end up watching some.”
Shortly before his name was called on the ESPN broadcast, he heard from Dan Reeves, then the coach of the Falcons.
“I knew it was happening,” Kittner said. “The phone ringing and not knowing who it is was obviously exciting. I looked back at my years at Illinois and I was happy where we started and where we finished. That (draft) was part of the finish. It was an achievement that not many have had the opportunity to do.”
Twenty-two years is long enough for Illinois. Kittner wants to be off the “last-drafted” list.
“Hopefully, that changes very soon,” he said. “It’s disappointing.”
Elite company
Kittner is part of a select group of Illinois quarterbacks to be drafted. In the past 51 years, eight have been selected. Including overall No. 1 pick Jeff George in 1990. There were two other first-rounders (Dave Wilson and Tony Eason) and a second-rounder (Trudeau).
Wilson, Eason, Trudeau and George were picked in an 11-year stretch, the heyday for Illinois quarterbacks under Mike White and John Mackovic.
While their offenses certainly ran the ball (Howard Griffith had eight touchdowns on the ground in one game), they were more reliant on the pass.
Kittner’s head coach Ron Turner continued the passing trend. But Ron Zook and most the coaches who followed, including current boss Bret Bielema, wanted balance.
“We had plenty of guys who could play, but their game was more suited to the college game than to the next level,” Kittner said. “Part of it is what kind of offense are you trying to run? Juice and Scheelhaase were really good quarterbacks, but they ran the ball more. Today, it’s about throwing the ball. The athletic ability of the quarterback today is different than what it was 20 years ago and 40 years ago.”
The 2024 draft is top heavy with quarterbacks. Starting with the Bears at No. 1 taking Caleb Williams, three more (LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy) are projected to be picked early.
The quarterbacks come in all different shapes and sizes. But the one common denominator: strong, accurate arms.
Knowing now what he did as a rookie with the New York Giants perhaps Tommy DeVito should have been drafted.
“Quarterbacks, like head coaches, a lot of the grading is on wins and losses,” Kittner said.
Can current Illinois starting quarterback Luke Altmyer end the streak? A lot depends on how he plays in 2024 and whether he decides to take a final season.
“It’s my opinion that if you win games, the rest will figure itself out,” Kittner said.
Keeping busy
Kittner and wife Leila live in the Chicago area with their three children daughter Maya, son Carter and daughter Isla.
Carter is playing football ... but not quarterback. Kurt will be coaching.
“I didn’t play quarterback until the eighth grade,” Kittner said. “I was playing all different positions. Sophomore year in high school, I played safety and zero quarterback.”
Kittner, who spent time as the Illinois radio analyst after his playing days, is working in commercial real estate.
“It’s going well,” he said.
With a hectic schedule, the 44-year-old Kittner isn’t able to get back to C-U for many games. He attended one in 2023 and two in 2022.
Kittner isn’t devoting much time this weekend to watching the draft. He plans to check out the recap on ESPN.
“I don’t need to see highlight film,” he said. “I just want to know who picks who.”
