Will Levis on how Kentucky prepared him for the NFL -- and that Reddit rumor

It’s a very busy day for Will Levis, but this morning, the former Kentucky quarterback made time to check in with Tom Leach. Levis hopped on “The Leach Report” for about ten minutes to talk about his career at Kentucky, the NFL Draft process, and what it’s going to be like to hear his name called tonight. When it comes to the latter, Levis had one word.

“Surreal. Been surreal. I mean, it’s been crazy. It’s a very exciting time for me and my family. To be able to go the draft, let alone just get drafted at all, it’s a dream come true for me. It’s crazy to think that I’ll be playing for a professional football team starting in about a week.”

Levis transferred to Kentucky two years ago after spending three seasons as a backup at Penn State. As a Wildcat, he totaled 5,233 passing yards in two seasons, sixth on Kentucky’s all-time list, and 54 total touchdowns. He finished with a 17-7 record as a starter at Kentucky, which ties Terry Wilson for the second-most quarterback wins since 1993. Levis’ senior season was limited by injuries and a struggling offensive line, but he believes the Lexington chapter of his story was a successful one.

“It’s definitely still not over but at least the part of my journey at Kentucky went about as well as it could have, I thought. I always thought [the NFL] was a possibility for me. It definitely hasn’t become more realistic until recently but it’s crazy to think that I went to Kentucky without a lot of college experience and was really given an opportunity to show what I’ve got and it gave me the opportunity now to go play at the next level.”

Two people who were a big part of that process are Mark Stoops and Liam Coen. Levis came to Kentucky largely due to his ties to Coen, who recruited him out of high school while on the staff at Maine. It’s easy to dream of what Levis’ senior season may have looked like had Coen not left for the LA Rams in 2022, but even so, the quarterback is grateful for the part both men played in his development.

“They gave me confidence,” Levis said of Stoops and Coen. “For one, I think just the reps I got. I think I had what it took from a mechanics standpoint. Really, just putting me in an offense to put what I can handle on my plate and more and to push me and to ask a lot out of me and knowing I could do it. I became such a better cognitive and as well as physical player throughout my time at [Kentucky] and Coach Stoops and Coach Coen had a huge deal to do with that.”

Last night, Coen joined Levis and his family in Kansas City to celebrate Draft Eve. Today, Mark Stoops is expected to join the group in Kansas City to see Levis’ lifelong dream come true.

Football is Family. #NFLDraft eve pic.twitter.com/KpPrnTltTJ

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) April 27, 2023

Levis on NFL Draft process: “It’s been nonstop”

Between training, the NFL Draft Combine, his Pro Day, and visits and interviews with teams, Levis admitted the last few months have been “a lot.” He told Leach that he finally was able to find some time to relax this week but the draft process has been more of a grind than he originally thought.

“It’s been nonstop,” Levis said. “You go right from your last college game to working out and getting ready for the [NFL Draft] Combine, Pro Day, stuff like that, jumping into all these visits, flying around the country. Dudes had up to 20 of these Top-30 visits. I had eight and I thought that was a lot and it definitely still was but it’s a mental grind as well as a physical grind.

“I feel like it’s a mental grind. I was expecting a lot but it was definitely a lot more than I thought. Everything I feel like I’ve done up to this point in my career, especially all the development and growth I experienced at Kentucky just made me ready for this process and I feel like I’ve done a great job with it.”

Levis said that unlike some of his fellow draft prospects, his interviews with teams have been “pretty normal” — even if he had to answer questions about the viral banana and coffee with mayo videos on TikTok.

“I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ve heard of some funny situations that guys have been put in but mine have been pretty straightforward. Obviously, you get the questions about the banana or the mayo thing but I feel like most of these people, most of these coaches and stuff don’t even care about it because they know it doesn’t affect me as a player but that’s always funny talking about that.”

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Levis addresses Reddit rumor he’ll go No. 1

Since his draft stock soared a year ago, Levis learned to tune out the noise from talking heads but admitted that it’s still funny to see his name and face on television as he’s walking through airports, etc. This week especially, his name has been everywhere as his draft odds soared when a Reddit poster claimed Levis told his family and friends the Carolina Panthers were taking him with the No. 1 pick. Yesterday, reporters in Kansas City asked Levis about that Reddit rumor, which he cheekily laughed off.

“I can say something right now to get the people going a little bit, but I think I’m going to refrain from that. I mean, everyone knows that everything you read on Reddit is true. Take it for what you will.

“It’s just funny. I was talking to some of these dudes about the different rumors and stuff that are just absolutely not true that have been conjured by this process about everyone on this field right now. It’s crazy. You realize you can’t pay attention to that stuff. Just focus on yourself.”

Will Levis on those Reddit rumors 😂😂 @DKSportsbook @FanDuel @CircaSports @ActionNetworkHQ #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/C2lKEodTxo

— BBN Tonight (@BBNTonight) April 26, 2023

In his conversation with Leach, Levis said he does look at social media every now and then to see what people are saying but knows to take it with a grain of salt.

“I feel like it’s not healthy to just completely block it out. You can not actively search what’s out there about you but you can take it for what it is, which is meaningless. The only thing that matters is the work that you put in and the process that you’re dedicated to and you know at the end of the day that you don’t really have a say in the situation you’re going to be put in and the team that you’re going to be picked by.”

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Levis on doubters: “I love to prove people wrong”

Levis is one of the most polarizing players in the draft. If you search his name on Twitter, you’ll find a wide range of takes, from people claiming he’s the best quarterback in the draft to others doubting his potential based on a somewhat disappointing senior season at Kentucky. As we’ve discussed ad nauseam, Levis’ stats from last year are deceptive for many reasons but he admitted part of him is looking forward to proving some of those doubters wrong at the next level.

“I love to prove people wrong; I do. I don’t think that’s my main source of motivation. I feel like I’m just trying to reach my potential, reach my goals, and compete against myself as opposed to anybody else but I’d be lying if I said it didn’t feel good to make people rethink their opinion on me based on what I do. I’ve still got a lot of work to do and regardless of where I go in the draft, there are still going to be doubters out there on me and it’s still going to be motivation for me to work harder and get closer to my goals.”

Levis on Devin Leary, next year’s Kentucky team

In between visits and training, Levis found time to come back to Lexington to check in with his former teammates and meet the new additions to the squad, namely quarterback Devin Leary. After watching the NC State transfer in spring practice, Levis is confident Leary will succeed at Kentucky with the help of dynamic young playmakers like Barion Brown and Dane Key.

“It was great seeing them and they look really good,” Levis said of the team. “I’m really excited for Devin. It was good to see him healthy coming off an injury and he was really starting to come into his own coming toward the end of spring ball and talking to him, he has a great grasp of the offense and as we all know, the younger skill dudes are going to be able to step up and take that next step in their developments this year. I’m really excited to see what they’re able to do this year and I think they have a really high ceiling.”

Levis is expected to go in the top five of tonight’s draft, which would make him Kentucky’s highest draft pick since Dewayne Robertson in 2004 (No. 3 to the New York Jets). If that Reddit rumor is true, he will be the program’s first No. 1 overall pick since Tim Couch in 1999. He will almost certainly join Bud Dupree, Josh Allen, and Jamin Davis as first-round draft picks in the Mark Stoops Era. When his name is called, a million things will be going through Levis’ mind, one of them being gratitude for his time as a Kentucky Wildcat.

“Gotta thank Kentucky and all the fans and everybody else that I was so grateful to be associated with during my time there,” Levis told Leach. “I’ll always be a Kentuckian and I can’t wait to get back there.”

Hear more from Levis in this video from Kentucky Wildcats TV: