BTI's Rants and Ramblings: Comparing Will Levis to other First-Year Kentucky Quarterbacks

Will Levis steps into the starting quarterback job for Kentucky in just a couple weeks with as much fan hype as any recent signal caller. Terry Wilson came in with the junior college hype, sure. But Levis comes in with Penn State hype and some social media videos that have the fans clamoring for what he might bring to an offense with some weapons. But what do we really have to compare Levis with? I think the most fair comparison we can do is holding him up against other 1st year starters for Kentucky in the post-Couch era. Obviously some of these guys played in more pass happy offenses but it is still fair to see how guys who haven’t faced the spotlight handled it in their first seasons.

These are the players and their stats from their first year STARTING THE SEASON as the starting quarterback. A few of these guys played games before the season listed but they did not start the year as the starter.

DUSTY BONNER (1999)

303-465, 3266 yards, 26 TD, 13 INT
Team Record: 6-6
Bowl: Lost to Syracuse in Music City Bowl

Obviously Will Levis is not going to throw the ball 465 times in 2020 but one thing he won’t have to face is what Bonner did in 1999, following a Heisman finalist in Tim Couch. And I think most people felt that he handled him self admirably. The Cats got a 31-5 victory over LSU and had a ranked win over Arkansas as well. While the team started 5-2, the meat of the schedule hit them hard and UK finished 1-4 to close out the year. Bonner would lose the job the following offseason and would transfer. Still, a very productive first season.

JARED LORENZEN (2000)

321-559, 3687 yards, 19 TD, 21 INT
Team Record: 2-9
Bowl: None

The excitement around the redshirt freshman Lorenzen was pretty large and he came out firing against Louisville in Game #1. But the overtime loss led to a 2-9 season in which Lorenzen showed amazing flashes but the Cats talent level had dipped significantly and Lorenzen was turnover prone. After a bench in Year 2, he would start full seasons as a junior and senior, although never able to get to a bowl because of either record or probation. Lorenzen would go down as one of the most popular players in UK history. Will Levis will probably not match the popularity of Lorenzen but remember, Jared didn’t win a whole bunch so if Levis can throw together a 9 or 10 win season, who knows?

SHANE BOYD (2004)

138-263, 1328 yards, 7 TD, 9 INT
Team Record: 2-9 (Boyd started 10 of those games)
Bowl: None

Boyd had played or started in 26 games before his senior season but had never been given the reigns at the beginning of the year completely. 2004 was his opportunity. Unfortunately, the Cats talent decrease was at a rock bottom and Rich Brooks was in full rebuild mode in his 2nd year. Boyd never got a consistent offense moving. Outside of putting 51 points on a pathetic Indiana team, Boyd led to Cats to scores of 0, 3, 16, 17, 7, 10, 7, 17, and 14 before Andre Woodson took over for the final game of the season. Woodson would lead them to 31 points against Tennessee and that was the end of the Shane Boyd era.

ANDRE WOODSON (2005)

146-253, 1644 yards, 6 TD, 6 INT
Team Record: 3-8
Bowl: None

After his lone start before the year in 2004 almost led to an upset of Tennessee, Woodson came into 2005 with some hype. And then the Cats almost upset Louisville in the first game of the year but overall the talent level was barely on the move back up and the offense continued to be anemic. UK would score under 20 points in 7 of 11 games and finish 3-8. Brooks job was certainly on the line in 2006 and Andre Woodson basically saved it. The Cats would win 8 games in both 2006 and 2007 and Woodson would finish as one of UK’s greatest quarterbacks despite his struggling start.

MIKE HARTLINE (2008)

172-311, 1666 yards, 9 TD, 8 INT
Team Record: 7-6 (Hartline started 9 total games)
Bowl: Defeated East Carolina in Liberty Bowl

Hartline came into his first season as starter with little hype, unlike the guys before him. After a tremendous 2-year run under Woodson, it was unclear what Hartline would be able to accomplish. And despite some early efficiency and a 5-3 record as starter, Hartline was benched for Randall Cobb after a 63-5 loss to Florida. He wouldn’t start again until the bowl game as Cobb became injured. He would go on to have a very up and down career but by his senior season would become a very productive QB.

MORGAN NEWTON (2011)

83-174, 793 yards, 8 TD, 7 INT
Team Record: 5-7 (Newton started 7 total games)
Bowl: None

Very few positives to remember from Newton’s first season as the starter. He was pulled as starter just 7 games into the season after losses of 48-10, 35-7, and 54-3. He led on the nation’s most anemic offenses that year and the season ended with Matt Roark leading the team to a win over Tennessee. Newton was touted as the best QB recruit since Tim Couch and couldn’t have produced any more of an opposite result.

MAXWELL SMITH (2012)

103-150, 975 yards, 8 TD, 4 INT
Team Record: 2-10 (Smith started 3 total games)
Bowl: None

It would have been very interesting to see what Max Smith would have become with a full, healthy season. He threw for 280, 354, and 332 yards in his first 3 games that season before injuring his shoulder. UK would go 1-8 in the games he didn’t start that year. In 4 games played that season he threw for almost 200 more yards than Morgan Newton did the previous year in 7 games. It was clear Smith could move an offense but the injuries derailed his entire career at Kentucky.

PATRICK TOWLES (2014)

225-393, 2718 yards, 14 TD, 9 INT
Team Record: 5-7
Bowl: None

In his first full season as starter, Towles had flashes if brilliance and put together some truly great performances. He threw for 390 yards against #1 Mississippi State and showed some skill with his legs as well. But after a 5-1 start to the year, UK would lose its final 6 games and that would leave a sour taste in many fans mouths about the year. He would get almost a full 2nd season in 2015 before Drew Barker took over at the end of the year and he would go on to transfer following 2015.

*NOTE: Drew Barker started the 2016 season but was injured in Week 2 so not going to breakdown his career here

STEPHEN JOHNSON (2017)

189-316, 2305 yards, 10 TD, 6 INT
Team Record: 7-6
Bowl: Lost to Northwestern in Music City Bowl

This is a little bit of tough one because Johnson started 11 games in 2016 after Barker’s injury and fans knew what they had coming into the 2017 season. But this was his first season as starter from the beginning of the year and Johnson became the ultimate game manager of the Stoops era. Efficient, intelligent player. Incredibly tough and his touchdown run to win against Tennessee should go down as one of the 10 best plays in UK history. This guy took every ounce of his talent and took UK to 2 bowl games. Will Levis probably won’t be asked to be a game manager but if he can be a leader like Johnson, we are in for good things.

TERRY WILSON (2018)

180-268, 1889 yards, 11 TD, 8 INT
Team Record: 10-3
Bowl: Defeated Penn State in Citrus Bowl

In Wilson’s first season he had the benefit of a dominant defense and Benny Snell, so he wasn’t asked to do too much. He still struggled a bit with turnovers and when the game required passing, Wilson was up and down. But he did lead an incredible last minute drive to beat Missouri, thrashed Louisville, and was very good against Penn State as well. Certainly not one of the best opening seasons we’ve seen but Terry played his role within that team as well as possible. And he can always say he had a 10-win season in the SEC.