Will Levis, Kentucky Football News: Draft Scout Player News

07/25/22 - QB Will Levis, rSr/2023, Kentucky

Mark Stoops may usually be reluctant to contribute to the preseason hype machine for his Kentucky football players, but even he cannot help but brag on quarterback Will Levis this summer. "We have to have some play-makers step up at the wide receiver position because we have a beast of a quarterback," Stoops said during his appearance at SEC Media Days Wednesday. Stoops made it clear where he stands on the topic of whether Levis can earn a spot in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. "I'm not going to lie, when I watch him at times, I mean, it does kind of blow you away," Stoops said. "You just watch him maybe on a windy day, there's gusts coming at you, and the way he rips the football, the way he throws it, the way he works, he's exceptional. "I don't worry about him, talking about him like that, because he's very self-driven. He's worried about getting better. He works his tail off every day."

A year ago, Levis had not even been named Kentucky's starting quarterback yet. He had been pigeon-holed as a change-of-pace, run-first backup at Penn State. While he was viewed as the favorite to win Kentucky's starting job after being recruited out of the transfer portal by offensive coordinator Liam Coen, he faced significant competition from multiple quarterbacks who enjoyed the head start of a full spring practice to learn Coen's system. Levis wasted little time winning the respect of his teammates and establishing himself as the obvious choice to start for Kentucky after arriving on campus. There were moments of inconsistency during his first season as a Wildcat, but he led Kentucky to its second 10-win season since 1977 while totaling more than 3,000 yards of offense. - Courier Journal

rSr/2023