Penn State let him walk and Will Levis turned into “pretty damn good” quarterback at UK

Will Levis left Penn State because he had higher aspirations for himself. (Vicky Graff Photo)

It was about this time a year ago that I started hearing a lot about how good Will Levis was.

He had transferred to Kentucky from Penn State — where he did not play a lot — to play for new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Most people thought either Joey Gatewood or Beau Allen would be UK’s starting quarterback when the 2021 season opened. Both had been in the Kentucky program and seemed to have been groomed to be the starter.

However, even though Levis didn’t arrive on campus until June of 2021 after completing his degree at Penn State, he impressed the coaching staff quickly. Same with teammates who loved everything about his game.

Obviously naming Levis the starter was the right move by coach Mark Stoops. He led UK to 10 wins, including a bowl win, and is being mentioned as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

But how did Penn State let him get away?

“It was just the situation there,” Levis said. “Only one quarterback plays. It’s hard to always get what you want and even harder if another quarterback is playing.”

“The quarterback who started was one year above me. I wanted to try my best to start somewhere else. I am always one to do what the coaches want and help the team and I think I did a good job of that but I had higher aspirations for myself.”

That brought him to Kentucky and UK fans can only count their blessings and this year the Cats need him to be even better. The Cats lost both starting tackles (Darian Kinnard, Dare Rosenthal) and center (Luke Fortner) along with its star receiver (Wan’Dale Robinson). All four should be in the NFL and while UK feels it is has capable replacements, Levis is going to do even more this year.

“I didn’t even feel comfortable last year until midway through the year,” Levis said. “You need starting experience to play your best. I got those first games behind me and things started to make more sense.”

“I got more comfortable and started to feel like I am a pretty damn good quarterback.”

And in 2022 Kentucky needs him to be “pretty damn good” or maybe even better to reach the level the Cats are aiming for.