Illini's Wes Lunt compares himself to Tom Brady in interview

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Which pro quarterback does Wes Lunt remind you of?

Well, we got his answer to that question Sunday night, and the Illinois signal caller compared himself to Tom Brady.

"I'd like to compare myself to Tom Brady," Lunt said in an interview the Illini posted Sunday. "He's an unbelievable quarterback. I think we have a lot of similar traits just athletically and how we throw the ball. It's exciting to watch. You really get a feel for how good he is when you watch every game in a season."

The Rochester native is entering his second season as the Illini's starting quarterback, though his first season certainly didn't go how he drew it up. Three fourth-quarter comebacks against mediocre non-conference competition were followed by an injury-plagued conference schedule in which Lunt appeared in just three of those games. He was injured against Purdue and only played in three more games the remainder of the season, with the coaching staff opting to go with backup Reilly O'Toole even after Lunt returned to action. O'Toole led the Illini to wins in three of their last five regular-season games and the first bowl appearance of the Tim Beckman Era.

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This isn't the first time, though, that Lunt has been compared to Brady. Offensive coordinator Bill Cubit pulled out the Lunt-Brady comparison last summer leading up to Lunt's first action since transferring in from Oklahoma State.

"Body-type-wise, Tom Brady. He has added weight, weighing about 228 now. He has a calm demeanor until someone screws up. Then he is more forceful. He has a good presence about him," Cubit said last year in an interview with BTN's Tom Dienhart. "I had Trent Edwards at Stanford. I think this kid is a bit ahead of where Trent was when I was there."

Brady is an eyebrow-raising comparison to make, of course, considering the fact that the New England Patriots QB might be the best the NFL has ever seen. He's won four Super Bowls, including the most recent world championship earlier this year.

Lunt has played sporadically during his first two seasons of college football.

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But before Brady was Brady, he was also a Big Ten quarterback. He played at Michigan before becoming one of the NFL's greatest players ever.

Lunt was also asked about what he's incorporated into his game from watching Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning — arguably the three best quarterbacks on the planet.

"I think all three of them do a really good job in pocket presence, just staying in there and being able to slide without moving drastically to get that throw off," Lunt said. "I think that's really important, and that's something I've been working on this offseason, just staying in the pocket, moving my feet just a little bit to get that throw off. So that's probably the main thing that I got from all three of them."

Check out the entire interview right here:

(Video from FightingIllini.com)

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