The one great reason why UK quickly named Will Levis its starting quarterback
Question: What does a brand new starting quarterback in a brand new offense need most?
Answer: Repetitions.
So when it became clear to Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops and new offensive coordinator Liam Coen that Penn State transfer Will Levis was the choice to start the opener on Sept. 4 against Louisiana Monroe, why wait to pull the trigger?
“I feel very clear on this decision,” Stoops said Sunday night.
The decision did not come without some roster consequences. After meeting with Levis, Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen to inform them of his decision to name Levis the starter, Stoops met individually with Gatewood, who informed the head coach he would be placing his name into the transfer portal.
“I totally respect his decision,” Stoops said, adding that part of the reason for making the decision now was to give Gatewood an opportunity to go elsewhere, if he so chose. “If we had waited one more week, he would have been trapped here.”
So we know the pecking order for the opener. Levis is the starter with Allen as the backup. Nik Scalzo and Kaiya Sheron will be next on the depth chart. “We’ve seen good things from both of them,” Stoops said Saturday after the scrimmage.
But Levis is the man. Why? Sunday, Stoops mentioned sheer talent and “unbelievable arm strength.” He reported that Levis had thrown a 65-yard touchdown pass (to Wan’Dale Robinson) on the first play of Saturday’s scrimmage. Despite not being on campus for spring practice, Levis has shown a “presence” that will quickly make him a leader on the team.
What do we know about Levis? He’s a strong kid with a strong arm. The Connecticut native played in 15 games at Penn State, but started just once. In fact, he was used more as a runner than a passer in the Nittany Lions’ offense, even though it was obvious Levis had a cannon for an arm.
The knock on Levis at Penn State was accuracy. Sure, he had a strong arm, but you weren’t always sure where the ball was going. Since then, he has worked on his mechanics. And he should benefit from the expertise of Coen, who was assistant quarterbacks coach under Sean McVay before accepting Stoops’ offer to come to Lexington.
And at Kentucky, under Coen, Levis will get to use that arm. Yes, Coen had briefly recruited Levis — “A couple of phone calls,” Coen said last week — when UK’s new OC was the offensive coordinator at Maine before continuing on to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams. But Coen said last week that Levis was behind starting practice because he was not here for spring ball. But then Coen added that what Levis had accomplished already was a testament to his work ethic and ability.
That should have been a tip-off right there.
Levis showed his storm arm during open practice
Really, it’s no surprise that Levis is the starter. In the Fan Day/open practice, it was easy to see the ball came out of his hand quickly, with tremendous zip. Did he miss a few throws? Yes. Are the receivers going to have to adjust to the speed of the Levis’ fastball? Of course. Are there still things he needs to learn about Coen’s offense? You bet.
There are about three weeks of practices remaining to work on all of that. And instead of spreading the snaps three ways, Levis can get the bulk of the work.
And ultimately, naming Levis the starter right here, right now, sets the stage for the remainder of training camp. His teammates know he’s QB1. The fans now know it. There will be no debate, no intrigue, no quarterback controversy. Not before the opener, anyway.
On UK’s Media Day, Levis said that after getting his feet wet at Penn State, he felt like he was ready to take the next step and be a starting quarterback at a Power Five school.
Wish granted.
Let’s see what he can do.
This story was originally published August 15, 2021 at 7:00 PM.
