Before the NFL Draft, here are the top five Will Levis moments for Kentucky football
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When Will Levis committed to Kentucky, few would have predicted two years later the then-Penn State backup quarterback would be one of 17 players selected to attend the NFL Draft in person.
Levis’ two-year Kentucky career featured the program’s second 10-win season since 1977, two wins over Florida, two wins over Louisville and a Citrus Bowl upset of Iowa. After years of Kentucky’s offense being too one-dimensional, Levis’ talent restored balance to the Wildcats’ passing attack.
Before Levis walks across the NFL Draft stage in Kansas City, here is a look at his top five moments as a Wildcat.
5. The debut
It is easy to forget some pundits questioned whether Levis was even the best quarterback on Kentucky’s roster when he arrived on campus. That chatter was quickly put to bed when he completed 18 of 26 passes for 367 yards, four touchdowns and one interception in his Kentucky debut in a 45-10 win over Louisiana Monroe.
Kentucky Coach Mark Stoops told the SEC Network before the game he would eat a banana with the peel like Levis had in his much-talked-about TikTok video if Levis threw for 400 yards in his debut, but Stoops pulled his quarterback early in the fourth quarter just 33 yards shy of the plateau. He was the first UK quarterback to throw for at least 300 yards since 2016. The highlight of the game came when Levis noticed a ULM cornerback drift out of position and improvised to hit wide receiver Isaiah Epps for a 57-yard gain.
“That was not schemed up that way, just so we’re all clear,” offensive coordinator Liam Coen said after the game. “He made a throw. … That’s the big thing about him: You tell the wideouts you can never stop running. Can never stop running when he’s playing quarterback, because he’ll let it rip.”
4. Shining in the swamp
Most of Levis’ best Kentucky moments came in his first season as a Wildcat, but before a foot injury derailed his senior season there was at least one unforgettable highlight.
With Kentucky trailing 3-0 at Florida early in the second quarter and the offense finding little success in a first quarter that saw Levis sacked three times, he flipped the script with a 55-yard touchdown pass to freshman Dane Key. Key deserves much credit for making a difficult catch with a defender hanging on him, but the throw was equally impressive.
“I think earlier in my career that was one where if I was getting pressured a couple times it would just be one second and bail whereas now I feel like I can feel around me, feel space, if I have time,” Levis said. “That time I did, and that was the difference. And Dane made an awesome catch.”
Levis outplayed fellow first-round draft prospect Anthony Richardson in the 26-16 win for Kentucky, completing 13 of 24 passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The victory marked the first time since 1977 Kentucky had won consecutive games against the Gators.
3. The LSU breakout
After his huge debut, Levis was not quite as effective over the next month but Kentucky continued to pile up wins against Missouri, Chattanooga, South Carolina and Florida. His first elite performance against an SEC program came in a 17-14 win over LSU in October 2021 in which he completed 14 of 17 passes for 145 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 75 yards and two scores on 11 carries.
“I thought he played his tail off,” Coen said after the game. “The whole theme for him all week was just calm down, slow down. Slow it all down. Slow your feet down. Slow your mind down. I thought you saw that. … I just thought he managed the game well.”
2. Citrus Bowl two-minute drive
With Kentucky trailing by four points and 3:31 remaining in the Citrus Bowl against Iowa, Levis and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson added one more highlight to their record-breaking 2021 season.
Levis completed four of six passes for 86 yards on the game-winning drive with all four completions going to Robinson. He kept the drive alive with a third-and-10 completion for 17 yards over the middle to Robinson. The big play came on a 51-yard completion to Robinson that set up first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.
Levis actually made the wrong read on Chris Rodriguez’s go-ahead touchdown run, but Rodriguez was able to elude a tackler in the backfield for a 6-yard score.
“Sometimes when you keep it simple, good things happen,” Coen said. “It’s about players, not plays. The guys executed. We protected when we needed to. The kid delivered throws.”
1. L’s down
The lasting image of the Levis era at Kentucky came in Kentucky’s 52-21 blowout of Louisville in the 2021 Governor’s Cup rivalry game.
Levis completed 14 of 18 passes for 149 yards in the game but did most of his damage on the ground, gaining 113 yards and a school-record four rushing touchdowns on 14 carries. After each of his four touchdowns, Levis posed for fans throwing “L’s down” in a clear illustration that the Connecticut native who had been on campus for less than a year had already embraced the rivalry with open arms.
Perhaps the most impressive play of Levis’ Kentucky career came in the fourth quarter when he juked one defender and hurdled over another for a 22-yard gain.
“No matter who we’re playing, that’s just who he is and how he plays,” Stoops said. “He just played an exceptional football game today. Throwing it, making decisions. When he ran it, he ran it so effectively and so tough. Everybody gets encouraged and fired up when you see that.”
This story was originally published April 20, 2023 at 10:11 AM.
