CHAMPAIGN - Coming out of its first of two bye weeks, Illinois still has major questions about the quarterback position through the first seven game. And those concerns extend well beyond the current season.

Brandon Peters, the former Michigan transfer, was named the starter near the end of all camp, but he’s suffered through a rash of injuries. His replacement is another transfer, Art Sitkowski.

Sitkowski got off to a bad start at Rutgers and elected to enter the portal, but some of the same issues he had with the Scarlett Knights have popped up.

All told, the Illini passing game is among the worst in college football with a 101.17 efficiency rating.

During his weekly press conference on Monday, head coach Bret Bielema was candid about the need to upgrade the talent on the roster this off season, particularly at quarterback. Peters has struggled even when healthy, and he’s playing out his eligibility, while Sitkowski has proven not to be a long-term answer.

“That’s a room that is considerably different from the day we walked in, but it has to change to get to where we want to be,” Bielema said.

Bielema already made significant changes in the quarterback room, moving dual-threat QB’s Isaiah Williams and Deuce Spann to wide receiver where they can better help the team. A pro-style QB is preferred for the system Illinois wants to run.

Finding the right guy to run it has proven difficult The current depth chart doesn’t add much hope, though we don’t have a clear picture yet of the skill set that true freshman Samari Collier brings to the field

Peters is still doubtful this week and hasn’t been cleared to practice, so Matt Robinson and walk-on Ryan Johnson will get more reps, but they're clearly not guys Bielema believes he can win with.

For now, Bielema and offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach Tony Petersen must play the hand they were dealt. They won’t settle for that next year, however, and its likely the starter in 2022 isn’t yet on the roster or in the pipeline.

That leaves the transfer portal, where a robust number of quarterbacks are likely to be available. It’s a hugely competitive market, especially for the high-regarded QB’s, but you can bet Bielema will be aggressive.

“I think the effects of the transfer portal are going to be played out here over the next two, three, four years,” Bielema said. “This year we just got granted two more weeks to sign seven additional players."

Perhaps Collier or New Jersey recruit Donovan Leary will pan out over the long haul, but the need for a competent quarterback is immediate.

Meanwhile, Illinois still has five games left on the schedule, beginning with a trip to No. 10 Penn State on Saturday. Petersen is still trying to work some magic with Sitkowski while dialing up plays that he can execute.

It was back to the basic during the bye week, trying to shore up the fundamentals and limit the negative plays that have derailed the passing game.

“Going back and spending time on the little things that make a difference in quarterback play,” Petersen said. “Making better decisions with the football. Throwing the ball on time and making the plays.”

Petersen said the QB’s worked on the fundamentals, their drops, footwork, mental progressions, and keys. Sitkowski doesn’t have an elite arm but can make most of the throws. Intangibles like pocket presence, vision, and timing have been his bugaboo.

Correcting it sounds simple enough, but it’s been rough sledding. Sitkowski did step in for an injured Brandon Peters in game 1 and help lead the Illini to win over Nebraska, but it’s been downhill from there.

For this fledgling passing attack to get off the ground, it’s going to take a team effort, according to Petersen. There are a lot of moving pieces that have to go their way.

"You have protection which is always first,” Petersen said. “We haven't given up a lot of sacks, but we've had enough pressures to cause some issues in our passing game. Then you have quarterbacks (needing to) make the right decision with the football and where it needs to go, and then wide receivers getting separation from DB's and making plays."

It Sitkowski falters against a tough Penn State defense on Saturday, the revolving door may swing back around to Peters when and if he’s healthy. That’s the catch-22.. There’s no waiver wire to draw from. It's one or the other.

The hope is the running game can carry the offense down the stretch and Illinois can at least be competitive against the better teams, and perhaps pull off home wins over Rutgers and Northwestern.

With the quarterback situation still unresolved, though, it’s not going to be easy to pull that off. So, you ride it out with what you’ve got, then get busy finding your starting quarterback for 2022 and beyond.

“At certain positions, it’s apparent that we are going to have to acquire a lot of players through the transfer world,” Bielema said.

Quarterback is obviously at the top of the list.