Tag: Will Levis

What we learned from Week 9 of the SEC football season

What we learned from Week 9 of the SEC football season.

Although [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide were on a bye week, Week 9 of the SEC football season left plenty of nuggets to dissect before Week 10 arrives.

Joining Alabama in the bye week were LSU, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt, leaving a total of 10 SEC teams playing in five matchups.

Outside of Missouri’s upset of South Carolina, everything went about as expected over the weekend.

Georgia handled Florida in Jacksonville, Tennessee hammered Kentucky in Knoxville, Ole Miss hung on to defeat Texas A&M, and Arkansas was just too much for the Auburn Tigers.

Let’s take a look at a few things that we learned from around the SEC in Week 9.

What we learned from Week 9 of the SEC football season

What we learned from Week 9 of the SEC football season.

Although [autotag]Nick Saban[/autotag] and the Alabama Crimson Tide were on a bye week, Week 9 of the SEC football season left plenty of nuggets to dissect before Week 10 arrives.

Joining Alabama in the bye week were LSU, Mississippi State, and Vanderbilt, leaving a total of 10 SEC teams playing in five matchups.

Outside of Missouri’s upset of South Carolina, everything went about as expected over the weekend.

Georgia handled Florida in Jacksonville, Tennessee hammered Kentucky in Knoxville, Ole Miss hung on to defeat Texas A&M, and Arkansas was just too much for the Auburn Tigers.

Let’s take a look at a few things that we learned from around the SEC in Week 9.

Re-stacking the top of the 2023 QB class at the mid-season mark

What does the top of the 2023 quarterback class look like after the first half of the season?

After a seemingly lackluster quarterback class in 2022, the next wave of top prospects at the game’s most important position hopes to deliver the kind of hope and promise was saw in 2021, perhaps with a little more consistent success.

There’s plenty to like about the top of the 2023 group, with multiple passers who could make a strong case for the No. 1 overall pick.

As we arrive at the midseason mark, here’s how I stack the top five passers in the 2023 NFL draft class:

Hendon Hooker shines, Will Levis struggles as Tennessee crushes Kentucky

Hendon Hooker outshined Will Levis is a blowout win for Tennessee over Kentucky

It was billed as a must-see matchup between two of this year’s top quarterback prospects, and a top-20 showdown between conference rivals.

Instead, it was a blowout win for No. 3 Tennessee over No. 19 Kentucky, another stellar performance from Hendon Hooker, and a night to forget for Will Levis.

After a tight first quarter, it was never in doubt for the Vols, who rolled to a 44-6 home win over the Wildcats, with Hooker accounting for four touchdowns while Levis threw a trio of interceptions.

Hooker finished the game with 245 yards and three scores through the air, with no interceptions, adding 23 yards and another score on the ground. Levis completed just 16 of his 27 passes for 98 yards, no touchdowns, and the three picks.

Vols wide receiver Jalin Hyatt continued his breakout 2022 campaign, leading the team with 138 yards on five receptions, breaking Tennessee’s single-season receiving touchdown mark with a pair of scoring tosses from Hooker.

Tennessee continues to look like a legitimate national title contender, while Hooker’s draft stock continues to skyrocket. The opposite appears true for the Wildcats, who could fall out of the top 25 with such a huge loss, while Levis’ draft projections are sure to take another massive hit after this performance.

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SKOL Search: Who in the 2023 QB class could be the Vikings’ future?

If the Vikings choose to look for the next quarterback, there are a lot of options in this year’s draft class

The Minnesota Vikings are at the very beginning of the Kevin O’Connell era and things are looking bright for the future.

While the Vikings are ascending with a new regime, the rival Green Bay Packers are starting to flounder. After signing Aaron Rodgers to a three-year/$150 million extension this offseason, things are not looking great after seven games.

As we wrote about on Friday morning, the Vikings could potentially set themselves up for the next decade-plus if O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are able to hit on the next franchise quarterback.

There will be a lot of debate if the Vikings could or should take one in this year’s draft, but there are a lot of options that the Vikings could take if they choose to. We identified 12 quarterbacks that could be the next franchise guy for the Minnesota Vikings if they take one in the upcoming draft.

Kentucky QB Will Levis (foot) will be game-time decision vs. South Carolina

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis’ status for Saturday night’s game is still up in the air

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis will be a game-time decision for Saturday night’s game against South Carolina, according to ESPN’s Chris Low.

Levis is battling a foot injury, per Lowe.

One of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft class, Levis has shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season that are sure to excite decision-makers at the next level.

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Will Levis’ back-to-back fumbles doom Kentucky vs. Ole Miss

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis fumbled twice in the final minutes to seal a crushing loss to Ole Miss

Kentucky came up just short in Saturday’s ranked showdown against Ole Miss, and a pair of critical fumbles from their quarterback ended their chances of mounting a last-minute comeback.

Will Levis made plenty of key plays to give his Wildcats a chance to win Saturday, but he coughed the ball up on back-to-back drives late in the game, both times when Kentucky had the ball deep in Rebels territory.

With around three minutes remaining in the game, Levis kept the ball on a read option and appeared to have the first down, but lost the ball on a punishing hit:

Given another chance, Levis got the Wildcats within striking distance again, this time in the final minute. But after a would-be game-winning touchdown was called back for a penalty, Levis was strip-sacked on the following play to seal the win for Ole Miss:

It was a disappointing end for Levis and the Wildcats, but there were still plenty of moments that should should still have NFL scouts excited about his potential at the next level.

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NFL scouts hold Will Levis in high regard

NFL scouts think highly of former Penn State QB Will Levis.

Penn State will be sending out [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag] today against Northwestern but in the heart of SEC country, a former Nittany Lion continues his meteoric rise.

[autotag]Will Levis[/autotag], who played for Penn State for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, appeared in 14 games for the Nittany Lions before deciding he wanted to have something more and transfer to Kentucky. Since he started his career as the starting quarterback for the Wildcats, Levis has had the nation’s attention.

Now it seems he has the full attention of the NFL.

On the broadcast of the game between Ole Miss and Kentucky, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay reported that NFL scouts are in love with Levis as a prospect. While the physical traits of Levis and his performances can be debated when comparing him to other passers, apparently it is how he is off the field that has teams and scouts clamoring over him.

McShay stated that “People online have different opinions but when you talk to guys in the NFL, Will Levis is a top 3 QB and a potential #1 overall draft pick…some NFL scouts I’ve talked to have Levis over Heisman trophy winner Bryce Young.”

While the idea of Levis being drafted over players like Will Anderson Jr., Bryce Young, or even C.J. Stroud may seem wild to some, evidently it isn’t the opinions that matter.

Each year draft discourse dominates social media, understandably so. It appears much as Malik Willis was weighed last year that this year Will Levis is poised to split people and teams apart.

So far in his Kentucky career, Levis has accumulated 4,011 passing yards and 34 touchdowns heading into today’s game against Ole Miss. As a starter, he has a record of 14-3 over the last two seasons. While Penn State seems to be more than comfortable with its choice to stick with Sean Clifford, one can’t help but wonder what the Will Levis era at State College would have been like.

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Kentucky QB Will Levis dislocates finger while being penalized for grounding

Kentucky QB Will Levis played after dislocating a finger

University of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis’ had a double whammy on a play against Ole Miss in the first half on Saturday.

Levis was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone. That is accompanied by a safety, which gave two points to Ole Miss because the infraction took place in the end zone.

On the play, Levis showed his finger to an official. He wasn’t being rude.

Levis wanted him to see he had dislocated a finger on his left hand, which fortunately is his non-throwing hand.

Kentucky uses the shotgun so after having his fingers taped together, Levis soldiered on in the SEC game.

Warning: If you are squeamish you might not want to look.

Texans have a scout at Kentucky versus Ole Miss

The Houston Texans have a scout at the Kentucky versus Ole Miss game, presumably to take a look at Wildcats QB Will Levis.

The Houston Texans have a scout in attendance for the Kentucky Wildcats versus Ole Miss Rebels Saturday afternoon.

Presumably the Texans are there to take a look at Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, who is one of the top quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL draft.

If the Texans are looking at Levis for quarterback, they may have some competition. The Giants have three seats in the press box, the most of any team. New York also has a decision to make if fourth-year Daniel Jones doesn’t take the next step.

Other teams in attendance are the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, who have two seats in the press box, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets.