Will Levis is the one that got away for Kirk Ferentz, Iowa

The bar for quarterback play is low at Iowa. Really, really low. One might say that passers under Kirk Ferentz hurt the Hawkeyes more than they help. That’s why it stings Ferentz even more knowing he could have had Kentucky’s quarterback, Will Levis.

Levis has crossed paths with Iowa’s Ferentz at crucial points in his career. It will reach a crescendo when his first season as Kentucky’s starting quarterback reaches a conclusion at the Citrus Bowl. It all started a few years ago on the recruiting trail.

“I can tell you what we think of Will; I think this is correct, I think we were the first Power-5 school to offer him,” Ferentz said. “We offered him a couple of Junes ago. He came out and came to camp. He was a guy that our quarterback coach, Ken O’Keefe, really liked. There was no question in our mind that he was going to be a really good college football player.”

Of course, it was not meant to be.

“Unfortunately, another school came in that was a little bit more prestigious than us a couple of weeks later and that was the end of that relationship. But we did get to see him last year a little bit. Will is a tremendous football player and I know he’s done a great job. I haven’t seen film, but reading articles and that type of thing, I know he’s done a great job for Kentucky and I’m not surprised. He’s a first-class young man.”

Levis spurned Iowa and you can’t blame him. Their track record with quarterbacks is… something.

Statically Bad Quarterback Play

Iowa’s best quarterbacks are their fourth down quarterbacks. It was obvious when Ferentz benched Spencer Petras in the third quarter of the 42-3 Big Ten Championship loss. Petras completed just 9-of-22 passes for 137 yards when he handed the sticks over to Alex Padilla, who completed 10-of-15 passes for only 38 yards and an interception.

If you want worse numbers, there are plenty. Petras has thrown only nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Only three quarterbacks in the country throw fewer yards per attempt (6.5). His quarterback rating (117.19) ranks 99th out of 100 eligible passers. Speaking of quarterback rating…

Absurd: Over the last two years, Iowa is 14-1 when its QBs manage a passer rating over 100.

100 is terrible! That’s the lowest bar imaginable! Top 120 (which they’ve only done in 8 of 20 games), and they’re untouchable. And they’re still 2-3 when the rating is UNDER 100!

— Bill Connelly (@ESPN_BillC) December 1, 2021

To plug Levis into that equation, Kentucky’s quarterback exceeded a 200 quarterback rating three times and 120 quarterback rating in all but three games: South Carolina, Florida and at Mississippi State.

Iowa wins in spite of its quarterback play.

Levis’ Experience Against Iowa

After crossing paths on the recruiting trail, Levis encountered Iowa in another big moment. His first career start was against the Hawkeyes in 2020. He hit his targets, completing 13-of-16 passes for 106 yards, but struggled to build momentum on the ground, taking three sacks and gaining just 34 yards. Iowa got the best of Penn State, winning 41-21 in Happy Valley.

“He was a tough guy,” Iowa defensive back Dale Benton said of Levis. “They used him in the run game a lot in scheme plays and things like that. We’ll have to be ready for that. He commands the offense well, he can toss the ball around a little bit and he runs so it adds an extra blocker.

“We’ll have to be physical like we pride ourselves on and just go from there. I feel like we might incorporate a lot of things we did against him at Penn State, but he also has a new coordinator so we’ll have to do some new things as well. But overall he’s a great player.”

Ferentz received revenge from the recruiting loss. Now it’s Levis’ turn to remind Iowa what they’re missing when the two sides take the field at Camping World Stadium to kick off 2022.