Mark Stoops reveals how Will Levis handles high expectations

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops agreed this week that Will Levis‘s biggest critic is the QB himself.

As the Wildcats enter a statement game versus the Florida Gators on Saturday, Stoops emphasized the importance of the potential first-rounder staying level in the face of high expectations.

“He is, he definitely is (his biggest critic),” Stoops said. “We don’t need him to put that kind of pressure on himself. We love and respect his drive and motivation and that’s obvious. But there also can be added pressure when the expectations go high on him. We just need him to be him. He is very driven and he is playing at a very high level. Again, there are some throws in there that with people in his face, he made some remarkable plays when you sit there and watch the film.”

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In Week 1 versus Miami (OH), Levis threw for 303 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He took four sacks, along with -18 rushing yards on 7 attempts. He completed 65.6% of his passes, which was just slightly under his 2021 average of 66%.

Reporters asked Stoops about Levis’ touch on the ball, specifically whether he wants him to make any changes to lower the chances of drops by Wildcats receivers.

“I think I mentioned this after the game, yes, there’s touch but then there are times when we’re like, just be you and rip it,” Stoops said. “It’s a fine line but dudes have to catch it. There’s no excuse for that.”

Levis dismisses NFL hype around matchup vs Anthony Richardson

NFL scouts have the opportunity to watch two potential first-round picks go head-to-head at quarterback on Saturday in primetime. With Will Levis and Anthony Richardson on the field, the matchup promises to draw big hype regardless of the outcome.

However, as Levis explained during his mid-week press conference, Anthony Richardson playing on the other side of the ball has little to do with his preparation and therefore will not enter his mind for long.

“I mean, Anthony is an awesome person,” Levis said. “I got to meet him down at the Manning Passing Academy this year and see him spin it around. Saw him again on media day. But you just try not to pay any attention to it, you know? I don’t read into any of that stuff. That’s something that I’m gonna focus on after the season, not now.”

On3’s James Fletcher contributed to this report.