Mark Stoops bothered by Will Levis criticism based on 2022 stats

At the 2023 SEC Football Media Days, Kentucky Wildcats head football coach Mark Stoop addressed the team’s future and their expectations for the upcoming season. But the Kentucky headman also discussed the past. Stoops had some choice words on the criticism surrounding last year’s starting quarterback Will Levis, based on his stats. According to him, although the criticism was about Levis, he took it personally.

“Well, I mean, obviously, that bothers me because I’m the head coach. And if we put him in a position, that’s not what we’re looking to do,” said Stoops. “So, if you’re just asking me personally, I mean, of course, it doesn’t make you feel good; you want to help all your players. and help them in any way that we can. So that’s something that maybe some people may believe in, and some people may not.”

Many believed that Kentucky was primed for a huge season in 2022 following their 10-3 record in 2021, thanks to Levis’ stellar play at quarterback. He finished the season completing 66 percent of his pass attempts while throwing for 2826 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Unfortunately, thanks to multiple injuries (shoulder, finger, foot), Levis and the Wildcats were unable to recapture the success they had in 2021.

Although many were critical of Levis’s final season at Kentucky, he still finished the year completing 65.4 percent of his passes for 2406 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions over 11 games. Despite having similar stats from this previous season, Kentucky only went 7-4 in the games he started.

Ultimately, Kentucky’s struggles as a team impacted Levis’s draft stock. Ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, it was widely believed that the Indianapolis Colts would select the former Wildcats star quarterback in the first round with the fourth overall pick. That would not happen as the Colts went with another SEC star quarterback in the Florida Gators, Anthony Richardson.

The criticism of Levis didn’t just knock him out of being a top-five selection; it knocked him out of the first round altogether. The former Wildcat, who started his collegiate career with the Penn State Nittany Lions, fell out of the first round and was selected with the first pick of the second round by the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee traded away three picks to the Arizona Cardinals, picks 41 and 72 in the 2023 Draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 Draft, to move up to the top of the second round and take Levis.

Stoops did all that he could do to put all of his Wildcats players in the best possible position to win and succeed. Quite possibly, he tried to do the most for Levis, as the quarterback position is the most important position in football. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way either had hoped it would. Still, that does not mean Stoops will take kindly to any criticism of his former player.