Starkville quarterback Trey Petty commits to Illinois football, Bret Bielema

Illinois football and coach Bret Bielema have landed one of top senior quarterbacks from the state of Mississippi when Trey Petty committed to the Fighting Illini on Thursday.

"committed, Starkville -> champaign," Petty wrote on Twitter.

The three-star QB picked Illinois over Tulane, West Virginia, Indiana, Georgia Tech and San Diego State, which he included in his top six in April. He will join former Starkville quarterback Luke Altmyer in Champaign.

MS HIGH SCHOOL SPRING FOOTBAL Players to know, burning questions ahead of Mississippi high school spring football

TENNESSEE FOOTBALL RECRUITING Mississippi's No. 1 recruit Kamarion Franklin explains attending Tennessee football spring game

The 6-foot-1, 187-pound Petty is the No. 26 recruit in the state and No. 55 quarterback nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. He also received offers from Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Jackson State among others.

Petty helped lead Starkville (12-3) to its first MHSAA state championship since 2015 last season. He completed 63.3% of his passes for 2,737 yards and 30 touchdowns in 14 games. Petty went 13-of-19 for 194 yards along with 62 rushing yards and five total TDs as the Yellow Jackets defeated Brandon 48-32 to clinch the Class 6A title in December.

Petty is the third quarterback from the state in the Class of 2024 to commit. Oak Grove's Anthony Maddox — the top signal-caller in the state — committed to Texas A&M in February. Madison-Ridgeland Academy's John White committed to coach Will Hall and Southern Miss last June.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Illinois football lands Starkville quarterback Trey Petty for 2024