He was once a viral sensation, but he has since carved out a career and reputation that far exceeds that. Will Levis started his career as a flashy recruit at Penn State, but he wasn’t getting the playing time he desired. Since arriving at Kentucky, though, he has done an excellent job of carving out a meaningful role.
A Fresh Start Was All He Needed
After appearing in 14 games over two seasons, mostly in cleanup roles, Will Levis decided he wanted more. More than 102 pass attempts, more than three touchdowns, and more was in Lexington, Kentucky.
Levis would enter the transfer portal before committing to Kentucky to continue his football career. In his first year at the school and the SEC, he would lead Kentucky to one of its best seasons in recent memory. He completed 66% of his career-high 352 passing attempts while also finding the endzone 33 times as he proved to be effective through the air and on the ground.
| Passing | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | AY/A | TD | Int | Rate |
| *2019 | Penn State | Big Ten | SO | QB | 6 | 28 | 47 | 59.6 | 223 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 2 | 2 | 105.0 |
| 2020 | Penn State | Big Ten | SO | QB | 8 | 33 | 55 | 60.0 | 421 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 1 | 0 | 130.3 |
| *2021 | Kentucky | SEC | JR | QB | 13 | 233 | 353 | 66.0 | 2826 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 24 | 13 | 148.3 |
| Career | Overall | 294 | 455 | 64.6 | 3470 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 27 | 15 | 141.7 | ||||
| Penn State | 61 | 102 | 59.8 | 644 | 6.3 | 6.0 | 3 | 2 | 118.6 | |||||
| Kentucky | 233 | 353 | 66.0 | 2826 | 8.0 | 7.7 | 24 | 13 | 148.3 | |||||
| Rushing | Receiving | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| *2019 | Penn State | Big Ten | SO | QB | 6 | 51 | 213 | 4.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 213 | 4.2 | 3 | |
| 2020 | Penn State | Big Ten | SO | QB | 8 | 82 | 260 | 3.2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 82 | 260 | 3.2 | 3 | |
| *2021 | Kentucky | SEC | JR | QB | 13 | 107 | 376 | 3.5 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 108 | 391 | 3.6 | 9 |
| Career | Overall | 240 | 849 | 3.5 | 15 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 241 | 864 | 3.6 | 15 | ||||
| Penn State | 133 | 473 | 3.6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 473 | 3.6 | 6 | ||||||
| Kentucky | 107 | 376 | 3.5 | 9 | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 0 | 108 | 391 | 3.6 | 9 | |||||
The interceptions would prove to be a little high, with him throwing 13 of them. With Levis and his playstyle, those mistakes are most likely to be a career-long thing. For better or worse, that is what Levis is, and that is going to be plenty for the NFL eventually.
What You See When Watching Him
Competitiveness
The saying goes, you can’t teach heart to anyone. Levis has enough that he spews it every time you see him play. In particular, in his game against Georgia, he gave the best demonstration possible when they were down 30-7 with about two minutes to go. Most teams at that point kneel or run the ball knowing they have nothing to play for, not Levis. He ran a two-minute drive against a Georgia defense, playing on its heels yes, and scored a touchdown as time expired. There is zero quit in the redshirt junior, which should make every coaching staff excited.
Mechanics
Of the handful of QBs I have watched, including Bryce Young, I would argue he has the cleanest throwing motion of them all. He possesses a clean, smooth release and the speed at which he gets the ball out is bar none. His lower body mechanics can have his feet getting a little happy at times, but the upper body with the arm, shoulders, and windup is all flawless and won’t cause any issues in the NFL.
Arm Strength
The point I made of him having the cleanest mechanics in the class may also be made with this trait. His arm strength is beyond ridiculous. He can make every throw on the field with ease. In fact, he was even able to overthrow Wan’Dale Robinson at times. His arm strength is similar to this year’s Malik Willis, where he has a wild stallion of a trait. If he can tame it just enough to improve his accuracy in the process. A complete NFL arm and one that will have evaluators drooling come next January.
Summary
Levis had already piqued the eye of NFL and media analysts this draft cycle when they evaluated Wan’Dale Robinson. Some people thought he would declare this year. Levis decided to head back to Lexington to prove what he could do with one more year in the SEC. That extra year should propel him into the first-round discussion despite being a massive year for QBs in 2023. His value now is not what it could be after a couple of weeks of the upcoming season, so capitalize on him being a buy candidate while you can.
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