Maybe a quarterback is not supposed to be physical but Will Levis cannot play any other way

Will Levis will lead the way for Kentucky this fall. (Vicky Graff Photo)

New Kentucky offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello loves quarterback Will Levis for who he is. However, he also understands Levis being Levis means he might take some extra hits trying to gain more yards running the football this season.

“That has been a fun challenge since I have been here. I have been fortunate enough to have to deal with other guys and that makes it easier to articulate with him,” Scangarello said about urging Levis to be a bit more cautious with his runs. “He understands the value of you to the community of Lexington, the university and teammates versus eight extra yards you can make.”

Still, Levis’ scrambling ability — and power running — makes him special. He knows he might need to slide to avoid taking a hit on some plays but there’s no way he can do that all the time. That’s just not him.

“I am just gonna let my instincts takeover for sure,” Levis said at UK’s Media Day Wednesday. “I know that my body and health for this team is more important than anything else.”

“I am definitely not a traditional prototype quarterback, with what I am able to do in the run game and what I am able to do physically and I know they’re opportunities where I can use that to my advantage. It’s just a matter of knowing when the risk is worth it. Definitely looking forward to sliding a little more this year.”

He recently had a chance to talk with former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, now a SEC Network/ESPN college football analyst. He won a national title and Heisman Trophy with his aggressive running style and was a big, powerful athlete like Levis.

Tebow told  him to use his skills effectively and pick his spots to run. Tebow told him his favorite college memory was a when over Florida State when he threw for 185 yards and three scores and ran for 80 yards and another touchdown.

“As a quarterback you’re not supposed to do those things, you’re not supposed to be physical, you’re not supposed to have the body to be able to do those things,” Levis said. “You’re in a unique position when you do that. There’s a little more hype and energy than really any other position on the team.”

“There’s definitely some positive to it and it’s an attribute of mine that I am very proud of and will continue to use smartly and effectively. But it was cool to hear someone who’s been through the same thing I have, talk about it.”

Levis loved Tebow telling him about a third-and-15 play where he “rolled out, demolished a dude and fell for the first down” in that win.

Levis said his favorite feeling is “getting picked up” by an offensive lineman after a successful run.

“You try to earn their respect and you know they love you in your heart when they chase you down and get people away from you,” Levis said.

Coach Mark Stoops is not going to put a lot of restraints on his quarterback other than trying to be smart with his play. He’s also not worried about all the offseason hype impacting Levis.

“I have no issues with that, because he is very motivated, he’s very driven in his own ability,” Stoops said.