Will Will Levis play for Kentucky football vs. South Carolina? Mark Stoops has ‘no news’
Kentucky football fans will have to wait until Saturday to learn if star quarterback Will Levis plays against South Carolina on Saturday.
Levis suffered an foot/ankle injury and dislocated a finger on his non-throwing hand in the loss at Ole Miss but was able to play through both ailments in the second half. The finger did not require surgery to fix, but the other injury has reportedly caused Levis to miss practice time this week.
Levis was spotted wearing a walking boot on his left foot Thursday. After a day of reports about the possibility that his star quarterback would be unavailable against South Carolina, UK Coach Mark Stoops had no update on Levis’ status after Thursday’s practice.
“I have no news,” Stoops said. “My policy is always if somebody is out, I’d tell you. I don’t have anybody out. If I had somebody out, I’d tell you.”
Later in his post-practice news conference, Stoops did clarify that linebacker Jacquez Jones was “highly doubtful” to play against South Carolina. Thursday’s practice is a walk-through for Kentucky each week in which players do not wear full pads. The team has another padded practice on Friday that could determine availability for the game, but Stoops will not address reporters again before the 7:30 p.m. game Saturday.
Reports that Levis might not play against South Carolina first surfaced Wednesday night as the betting line on the game decreased from 10 points in favor of Kentucky to six.
Widely projected as a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Levis ranks 24th nationally in passing yards per game (281) through five games. He has thrown 12 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Protecting Levis has been a problem for Kentucky for much of the season. The Wildcats rank 127th of 131 teams in sacks allowed (19). Levis has been sacked at least three times in each game this season.
Once cast as a run-first quarterback at Penn State, Levis has been used primarily as a pocket passer this season. Offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello has attributed his reluctance to call designed runs for Levis to a desire to protect him from taking unnecessary hits while showcasing his arm strength.
At least part of that strategy is likely a result of concern about a lack of proven backup options.
Lexington native Beau Allen, who served as the Wildcats’ primary backup a year ago, transferred to FCS Tarleton State shortly before the start of preseason camp. Iowa transfer Deuce Hogan and former Somerset star Kaiya Sheron competed for the backup job after his departure. Freshman Destin Wade is the other scholarship quarterback on the roster.
Hogan was named the backup on the week one depth chart, but in recent weeks UK has listed the backup as Sheron or Hogan. Sheron played on the final drive in the week three win over Youngstown State and was warming up on the sideline at Ole Miss as trainers attended to Levis’ injured finger in the first half last week.
Neither Sheron, a redshirt freshman, or Hogan, a third-year sophomore, has attempted a pass in a college game.
“I feel good,” Stoops said Thursday when asked about his backup quarterbacks. “You never know until you get into a game, until they’re pressed into that situation. I think you could say that about a lot of players, but it’s very real with quarterbacks, with all they have to do. You may see somebody that looks just absolutely gorgeous in 7-on-7 and throwing on air and things, then when all the moving pieces happen I think that’s when you get a true indicator of what you have at quarterback.”