5 Games That Defined Will Levis' Kentucky Football Career

Will Levis has played his final game in a Kentucky football uniform. The quarterback announced Wednesday afternoon he will bypass the Music City Bowl to prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft. Mark Stoops shared earlier this week that just because he’s not playing, Levis will still be with the team in Nashville.

“He’ll be right there with us coaching. He’s not going to just take off and go to California, Arizona or Florida to train,” Stoops said. “He wants to be with his team and he wants to help, so tells you a lot about who he is.” 

Will Levis spent more than half of his five-year collegiate career at Penn State. He entered the transfer portal in 2021 as a graduate and was recruited by another Northeast guy to Kentucky. He quickly took to Liam Coen’s offense and won over the starting job three weeks into fall camp. In two years as the Wildcats’ starter Levis completed 418-of-636 passes (65.7%) for 5,232 yards, the sixth-most passing yards in UK history. He threw 43 touchdown passes and 23 interceptions.

It’s difficult to describe what Will Levis’ legacy will be when we examine his tenure years down the road. We can point to a handful of games to describe what he did for the BBN during his two years in Lexington.

This Guy is For Real

Five games into his tenure, the jury was still out on Will Levis. He put up big numbers against bad teams, threw quite a few interceptions and struggled against a pair of SEC foes, Florida and South Carolina. When LSU came to town we finally got the full Will Levis experience.

He threw a touchdown to Chris Rodriguez to give the Cats an early lead. Back in the red zone in the second quarter, he rolled right as Wan’Dale Robinson crossed the field to his left. Levis threw the ball across his body, over two defenders into the perfect spot for a Robinson touchdown. It’s a throw we will see in Levis’ draft night highlights.

His arm talent was apparent. We got the full package from his performance in the run game. He flipped the field, moved piles and sprinted into the end zone. Levis ended the night 14-of-17 for 145 yards and three touchdowns, all while rushing for 75 yards and two more touchdowns. Kentucky played ‘Callin’ Baton Rouge’ over the loud speakers as the Cats crushed the 2019 National Champs 42-21.

One of Us

In the transfer portal era players come and go quicker than ever before. Even though he was a transplant, Levis embraced everything the Commonwealth had to offer. It was never more apparent than in his first appearance in the Governor’s Cup.

The Wildcats entered the game as underdogs and left Cardinal Stadium with a 50-Burger. Levis had as many incompletions as rushing touchdowns. He totaled four scores on the ground and 114 yards. Each touchdown was capped off with ferocious Ls Down. He embraced the rivalry like he grew up a stone’s throw away from Cardinal Stadium. Few have thrown their Ls Down quite as well as Will Levis.

Unfettered Confidence in Crunch Time

The moment never felt too big for Will Levis. He was a cool customer that did not flinch. It’s what caught the eyes of pro scouts when he faced the dominant Georgia defense head-on. It all manifested in Orlando on New Year’s Day.

Kentucky scored with relative ease on its opening possession against Iowa. It looked like the Cats were going to coast against a Top 10 defense, but that did not last for long. The Hawkeyes clawed back and took all of the momentum in the second half. Iowa took a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter over the short-handed Wildcats. Levis was sacked six times and and picked off late in the game on a fourth and 10. Hopes for a comeback were dim. He was not deterred.

Kentucky needed to go 80 yards in less than four minutes to win the football game. Even after taking a sack, he got back up and led the Wildcats back to a victory. Four completions to Robinson setup the game-winning touchdown from Chris Rodriguez with just over a minute to play.

Not Invincible

At times he was Kentucky’s Superman, taking hits, delivering blows and chucking the football down the field. He played aggressively, right on the edge, but it did not always work out for the Wildcats.

Ranked No. 7 in the AP Poll, Kentucky needed Will Levis to be Superman at Ole Miss. The Rebels brought the blitz and it was Levis’ Kryptonite. He suffered a foot injury on a safety that would later sideline him for a game.

Even though he was banged up, Levis put the Wildcats in a position to win. Trailing by three deep in Ole Miss territory, he kept the ball to run for the first down on third and 2. The Rebels got a hat on the ball and Levis fumbled away an opportunity to retake the lead. He got one more chance, thanks to heroics from Barion Brown. Kentucky went tempo with :58 seconds remaining. Levis connected with Dane Key for the game-winning touchdown, but it was waved off by a penalty. Kentucky’s quarterback snapped the ball before everyone was set. The following play he was stripped and sacked. Close calls and miss opportunities defined Kentucky’s underwhelming 2022 football season.

One Final High Note

Kentucky did not live up to lofty preseason expectations during Levis’ final season for a variety of reasons. Hindsight will not be kind to the Cats for missing so many chances to take the next step. Despite their shortcomings, the Kentucky quarterback did end his career by lifting up the Governor’s Cup one more time.

Will Levis threw two touchdown passes to comfortably defeat the Cards 26-13 at Kroger Field, the Wildcats’ fourth-straight rivalry victory. He finished his career 4-0 against Louisville and Florida, something few Kentucky quarterbacks have on their resume.