Mark Stoops assesses play of Will Levis, reveals what needs to happen to take next step

Kentucky is off to a 3-0 start in 2022 thanks in large part to the play of star quarterback Will Levis. Head coach Mark Stoops knows Levis is the key for Kentucky taking the next step, but that it can’t be done alone.

Levis has completed 67% of his passes through three games, tossing 882 total yards, six touchdowns and four picks. The interceptions and negative plays need to get reined in, Stoops said, but that’s as much on Levis as the group of Kentucky players around him.

“Well, you know, I think it’s not just him,” Stoops said on Levis improving. “I mean, and I’m not bailing him out, but on the interceptions and some of that there — we need to play better around him. And some guys need to step up and play more precisely. And so I think him holding the young wideouts accountable, all the little things, and continue to grow. Because it only takes one guy. You’ve heard the frustration of me talking about a guy here, a guy there. Well that’s all it takes. You need everybody on the same page. It’s why this is the ultimate team sport. You have to have everybody on the same page or it’s not going to work. So I think there’s a lot of little things. He threw one off balance without his footwork being correct, but it was also a bad route.”

CLICK HERE to subscribe to the On3 YouTube channel today for all of the latest news on college football, recruiting, NIL, more!

Levis has an impressive physical profile, standing 6-feet, 3-inches tall and weighing in the ballpark 235 pounds. He’s not a runner, but he brings the level of athleticism needed to extend plays and bring an extra dimension to the Kentucky offense.

It makes him a tantalizing prospect, and Stoops knows if Levis can channel that ability he can do exceptional things for Kentucky.

“He really, honestly, he made some amazing throws again on Saturday,” Stoops said of Levis and his performance against Youngstown State. “Really just, the talent just jumps out at you. The way he, when he gets moved off his spot — and still have the awareness and the arm talent and just the way he throws some of them. Just a really talented thrower. Made some amazing plays that kind of go unnoticed in a game like that.”