Changing Times: Will Levis and I are Worlds Apart

There’s a world of differences when comparing me to Will Levis. First things first and this is very important, Will is a dynamic quarterback and a future first-round draft pick. I played the same position for the same team but was far from polished or a professional. To be completely honest, I was a below-average SEC signal-caller. Self-degradation is not the purpose of this post, I promise. Instead, I will attempt to paint the picture of the variations in which we lived life during our times under center in Lexington and the evolution of the student-athlete from 1989 to today. Let’s get started. 

To better explain the differences between us I must first go back and try to recollect my Wildcat tenure. To be truthful, I remember some, but not a great deal of detail about those days. That concerns me a little and makes me somewhat sad. But, after 30-plus years, there tends to be a blur between tailgate stories and historical accuracy. I had to ask teammates for specifics that we’ll get into later. I am not a “Glory days” type of guy. Frankly, I didn’t have many days that could be straightforwardly described as spectacular.  Most of you reading this article weren’t born when my mullet gleefully graced the grass field lying on Commonwealth Stadium. Actually, I prefer for folks to know me more by my analysis for Kentucky Sports Radio and not so much the fact I threw 13 career interceptions. Our best record back then was 6-5 which was above .500 but we didn’t play in a bowl game. The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl had not been invented in the ’80s. 

Now for Will Levis. I am all for NIL and the transfer portal. Levis has benefited from both and personifies the modern-day student-athlete. He led the Cats to a 10-3 record and a Citrus Bowl victory over Iowa in his first season in Lexington. His arm strength is off the charts and he possesses the preferred toughness that pays homage to the game of yesteryear. Levis is respectful, self-aware, and a confident leader. His teammates appear to follow him both on and off the field. 

Now to the differences between us. Name, Image, and Likeness didn’t exist in the late ’80s. Neither did the cell phone or internet. Fast forward to today, Will Levis has inked NIL deals with horse farms, car dealerships, and a bunch of other stuff that I don’t quite understand. Drew has tried to explain cryptocurrency to me but that’s a far stretch to comprehend. You have to realize I’m one generation removed from my grandfather carrying every dollar he had in the chest pocket of his overalls because he didn’t trust banks. Will now drives a brand new Bronco from Paul Miller Ford. I drove my dad’s used Explorer. Pictures of the quarterback have been snapped while walking the Derby turf, in the Dominican Republic, Italy, playing golf all over, and at the Masters to name a few. Levis is the face of the changing world of collegiate athletics and I’m here for it. It’s about time. Former players that I talk to on a frequent basis feel admiration for today’s opportunities for athletes. There is very little animosity. Normally conversations on the subject provide a bit of making fun of each other and guessing which company would have endorsed us back in the day. I would have made a fortune from the coal companies. 

Our campus lifestyles were miles apart. Modern-day Kentucky players live in the dorm for their first year and are allowed to move off campus to an apartment or house for the duration of their career. That wasn’t the case in the Jerry Claiborne era. The entire team lived in Kirwin I during the fall and spring semesters. The only exceptions were married dudes. Those dorm rooms were so tiny. We had curfew at 11:00 PM every night and were required to be at Breakfast Check every morning between 6:00 and 7:30 AM. Post-game curfew was incredibly colorful. “Lights Out” on a Saturday after an intense game was a signal for the Animal House to liven up after midnight. Sometimes scary, sometimes funny. Just imagine a testosterone-fueled gathering of 100 hyped-up muscle heads locked within the confines of a concrete dormitory after competing in the SEC. I’ll stop there. Some things are better off not said. Summer living conditions were different if the player was attending school. We were given $550 per month for rent and food in the twelve weeks between semesters.

We ate three meals a day in the basement of old Donovan Hall. Our training table wasn’t exactly health conscious and was closed on weekends. To make up for two days of no meals we were given a $25 stipend to eat on Saturdays and Sundays. That coin didn’t stretch and was often blown by late Friday night. I see social media posts from current players and Will eating sushi and steaks. Love it. We were wearing out the buffets at Mr. Gatti’s and Ryan’s Steakhouse before venturing over to supermarkets on Sundays to scrounge up on free samples. So yes, there are a great deal of differences in that category. UK has a wonderful nutrition team that feeds the team and also monitors food intake away from the facility. Today’s Cats count fat grams and carbs. We crushed biscuits and gravy on a daily basis. 

Thankfully, practices and training camps have modernized. Today’s quarterbacks wear red jerseys and are off-limits for the defense. That was non-existent and scrimmages were live eleven-on-eleven. Oliver Barnett often threw me around like a rag doll. Saturdays were often easier than facing our Wide Tackle Six on Monday through Thursday. The entire football operation in 2022 is so much smarter and more efficient. That produces better players like Will Levis. The game and times have changed for the better. Competition however still exists. Levis arrived from Penn State and had to earn the starting job. Nothing was given to him. He began on the third or fourth team and advanced up the ranks. I had a similar but different path. I played defense my first season and then advanced to special teams before jumping up to be QB1 in year three. Offenses are also far more advanced than the ones I played in. Levis’ progression tree is vast and covers both sides of the field. Plays are more complicated these days. Will is coached up on specific instructions on techniques that provide him with the big picture he needs for the professional ranks. Additionally, players are much bigger, stronger, faster, and at times better than they were in 1989. Not all, but some. Several former players can’t admit that; I can. It’s not easy by the way. 

So, are there any similarities between me and Will Levis? Yes. We both played quarterback at Kentucky and we both threw some interceptions. We also had the “Bull” mentality in common and never shy away from contact. So what is the “Bull” mentality? It’s hard to explain. When the crowd is roaring and it’s third down with the game on the line, a certain state of mind takes over. Protecting your body is a mere afterthought and you’d do anything within your power to gain an extra inch because of the teammate to your left and right. I guess it could be labeled swagger these days. I tend to believe it’s a selfless trait that leaders share. Team first, team always. Will appears to possess that trait and I greatly respect him for that. 

Today’s quarterbacks are more efficiently groomed to play the position at a high level. From seven on seven instruction to camps and combines; modern-day quarterbacks are advanced. Are they better? Not necessarily, but more prepared. Levis benefitted from the expert tutelage of LA Rams’ offensive coordinator Liam Coen. He now plays for former 49ers QB Coach Rich Scangarello who is affectionately known as the “Quarterback Whisperer.” Will has been afforded a best-case scenario in quarterback instruction and development. 2022 could be a season in which the UK QB competes to earn generational money in the National Football League. He also is a leader of an offense that should generate a boatload of points and potentially play for an SEC East title. 

Nick Saban and a billion others have recently chirped about NIL and the transfer portal. The legendary coach mentioned the word “Parity” in the interview I recently saw on Twitter. Parity and Alabama. Lol. All due respect to the GOAT, but I don’t think that Vanderbilt has an endless number of QC analysts on staff or a waterfall in their locker room. Is today’s college football environment sustainable? I don’t know. That’s a decision for folks that are a whole heck of a lot smarter than me to figure out. But I am happy to see players like Will Levis profit from their play on the field. Heck, I hope NIL money increases for those that have earned a status by on-field play. If I were pressed on the issue I would have to say that I am against prospects profiting as a recruiting enticement.  

What Does All This Mean? 

I’ve never met Will Levis. But, I like and respect how that young man carries himself on and off the field. There must be a great deal of pressure being a pioneer in the ever-changing world of college football. Will’s handled it extremely well. For that, I am proud of my fellow Wildcat QB. 

Times have drastically changed over the course of 30 or so years at the University of Kentucky. Levis has taken advantage of the opportunities that were not available to the generations that came before him. In essence, Levis is writing the book on living life as a modern-day student-athlete. My college experience couldn’t have been more different than his and I’m perfectly okay with that. Times change. The game and its surroundings have evolved and that’s beautiful. How would I have spent NIL money if it existed in 1989? Great question. I hate the beach so that’s out. I don’t like to fly so I would have geographically limited. I think I would have bought some land in Harlan County and built a cabin in the mountains. Who knows. 

Times have changed. I try to change with them.