CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — Eleven practices in, position battles and a two-deep are starting to take shape for Illinois football. No depth chart will be released to the public before the season opener against Toledo on Sept. 2 and no starting quarterback has officially been named yet either, although all signs point to Ole Miss transfer Luke Altmyer being the guy. Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said he’ll announce his QB1 ‘when the time is right’ but that’s not the top position battle in camp. Bielema points to the secondary, nose guard and receiver positions as the top spots up for grabs, especially sorting out back-ups moving forward.

“We’re still trying to find those top two-deep and our swing guys at every position,” Bielema said. “Some positions are probably a little more settled. It’s pretty easy to say you know Johnny and Keith are our best defensive ends but guys behind them battling it out. So we’re kind of getting a little of everything and excited about the growth.”

Players will have a chance to showcase that growth on Friday during the team’s second scrimmage at Memorial Stadium. Bielema said Big Ten officials will be on hand, along with assistant coaches in the box, as they try to emulate game day as much as possible.