A big name on James Franklin’s radar this week is Wes Lunt, and rightly so — he is the starting quarterback for Illinois who returned to action last week after missing four games due to a fractured fibula. However, this is not the first time Franklin and Lunt have crossed paths.

“I like him a lot. We recruited the heck out of him, and he came to a seven-on-seven camp at the last school we were at,” Franklin said of Lunt. “I have a lot of respect for him, he was a big time winner in high school, and he was having a lot of success early in the year before he got injured. He’s not a mobile guy, I would say, but with the injury he’s probably a little less mobile than he’s been.”

Lunt, a four star prospect out of Rochester, Ill., originally committed to Oklahoma State. He played in six games as a true freshman for the Cowboys in 2012, and started five of those games, including the season opener. He threw for 1,108 yards, six touchdowns, and seven interceptions on the season, flashing moments of brilliance at times over the course of the season.

Lunt opted to transfer out of Stillwater after that season, and signed with Illinois. Due to NCAA transfer rules, Lunt was required to sit out the entire 2013 season, but won the starting job prior to the start of Illinois’ 2014 campaign. Before his injury, Lunt was enjoying a stellar season, throwing for 1,569 yards, 13 touchdowns, and only three interceptions, while boasting a completion percentage that was good for 10th in the nation.

Franklin also alluded to the possibility that Lunt would not be the only quarterback under center for the Fighting Illini.

“We expect to see the other quarterbacks a lot,” Frankin said. “We expect to see them run the quarterbacks, and we expect a lot of fake punts, onside kicks, and things of that nature.”

The Nittany Lions take on Illinois at Memorial Stadium on Nov. 22, at 12:00 p.m ET.