Tag: Will Levis

Ranking every SEC projected starting QB for 2022 season

The SEC quarterbacks are expected to be on another level in 2022, see how they rank heading into next season.

The SEC is home to some of the most competitive programs in all of college football. The conference has historically been known for elite defensive play, but it recently has become dominated by high-powered offense.

The quarterbacks to have come through the SEC in recent years have taken over headlines throughout the nation and help the rich get even richer.

Alabama’s [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] won the Heisman Trophy last season, former Oklahoma star transferred to South Carolina to redeem a poor 2021 campaign and other SEC teams have turned to the transfer portal in order to recruit proven talent that can allow their program to compete with the rest of the conference.

Though there will be starters who lose their jobs or the inevitable injury bug, the season will open with 14 starting quarterbacks. Here’s how they rank.

Former Penn State quarterback seeing his draft stock rise

Former Penn State QB Will Levis has seen his NFL draft outlook skyrocket since his arrival at Kentucky.

Penn State has had consistency at the quarterback position for several years now, not in it’s play but in the face of the position. Current starter, [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], has been the starter for several years now but it is who he beat out to earn the job that has seen his stock rise most.

[autotag]Will Levis[/autotag] was apart of the Penn State football program for two years for 2019 and 2020 before leaving for Kentucky where he would become the starter. During his lone year at Kentucky, Levis was able to showcase how explosive his arm is and that he has some serious NFL potential.

That NFL potential is already being hyped to the point he is being included in some early 2023 NFL mock drafts. His stock is everywhere but the main takeaway should be the quarterback competition at Penn State should have been more open than they said it was. Much like [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] says now, I would not expect there to be much of a competition and that they stick with the veteran arm.

That being said, let us see what Penn State could be missing out on from the talent of Will Levis that the NFL won’t.

2023 NFL draft film room: Kentucky QB Will Levis

See for yourself what makes Kentucky’s Will Levis one of the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL draft

It’s never too early to look ahead to the next group of top prospects, so if you’re looking to get a head start on the 2023 NFL draft class, we’ve got you covered.

What makes Kentucky’s Will Levis one of next year’s top quarterback prospects?

Watch the tape and see for yourself:

Texans pick Kentucky QB Will Levis, Notre Dame DL Isaiah Foskey in 2023 mock draft

The Houston Texans finally get their quarterback and address pass rusher in a way too early CBS Sports 2023 mock draft.

The 2023 NFL draft may be a year away, but the possibilities for the Houston Texans are still too tempting to ignore.

With the Texans possessing two first-round picks thanks to their trade with the Cleveland Browns earlier in the offseason, Houston will have a chance to add to their firepower or put the final touches on the rebuild. Either way, the draft represents another positive step for Houston to get back to contender status in the AFC.

According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, the Texans are awful for the third straight year and their proprietary first-round selection lands in the top-3 — this time at No. 1 overall. No doubt if the Texans are picking to kickoff the draft, it means the Davis Mills experiment blew up in their faces, and now they have to take a quarterback. Enter Will Levis from Kentucky.

Levis feels like a quarterback who can eventually be the No. 1 overall pick. He’s big, chiseled, has a rocket for an arm and can scramble. The Texans will probably be in the quarterback market in a big way next offseason.

The last time a Kentucky quarterback went No. 1 overall was in 1999 when the Browns selected Tim Couch. Houston sports fans would be hopeful Levis could have a better career with his original draft team than Couch had.

Houston uses their second selection via Cleveland to address the defensive line with Notre Dame edge defender Isaiah Foskey.

Foskey stood out on Notre Dame’s defense in 2021. He’s in for a big 2022 and has first-round traits and polish.

The Texans get a quarterback and also a defensive lineman who can get after opposing signal callers.

The draft in Kansas City still feels like a lifetime away, but the Texans’ scouting department will get back to work in June to determine who are the best prospects to help Houston get over the hump.

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CBS Sports mock draft has former Penn State QB Will Levis at No. 1 overall in 2023

Could former Penn State QB Will Levis really go No. 1 in the 2023 NFL draft, as suggested by a CBS Sports mock draft?

Former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag] continues to leave a good number of fans and media scratching their heads. Did Penn State absolutely blow it with Levis, who has gone on to draw plenty of praise with his success at Kentucky in the SEC while Penn State’s offense has struggled to a couple of mediocre seasons the past two years with an offense that has been led by [autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag]? While Clifford has been banged up and taken a beating while leading the Nittany Lions, Levis has been gaining respect from the NFL draft analysts. One analyst, in particular, is as high as you can get when it comes to the former Penn State backup quarterback.

Levis is the first overall pick in a mock draft published by CBS Sports draft analyst Chris Trapasso. Yes, that is correct. Levis sits atop the mock draft as the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.

Here’s what Trapasso said about having Levis on top of his mock draft;

Levis feels like a quarterback who can eventually be the No. 1 overall pick. He’s big, chiseled, has a rocket for an arm and can scramble. The Texans will probably be in the quarterback market in a big way next offseason.

Levis left Penn State for Kentucky last offseason and quickly won over the Wildcats faithful by showcasing his arm in Lexington. Levis ended his first season as the starting quarterback of the Wildcats with 2,826 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with 13 interceptions. Levis added 376 rushing yards and nine more rushing touchdowns.

For the sake of comparison, Clifford passed for 3,107 passing yards with 21 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. Clifford added 163 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns as well. Levis had a higher completion percentage (66.0 for Levis, 61.0 for Clifford) and passer rating (148.3 for Levis, 134.4 for Clifford).

Next year’s quarterback class does appear to be much stronger in the 2023 NFL draft compared to the 2022 NFL draft pool. In addition to Levis and Clifford, the 2023 draft pool will also likely include C.J. stroud of Ohio State and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young of Alabama.

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Giants draft a Daniel Jones replacement in Todd McShay’s 2023 mock

In the first 2023 NFL mock draft from ESPN’s Todd McShay, the New York Giants, picking in the top 10, select Daniel Jones’ replacement.

The 2022 NFL draft just ended but already we’re seeing an influx of 2023 mock drafts.

Our friends over at Draft Wire released their never-too-soon 2023 mock this week and in it, the New York Giants selected Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Coincidentally, that’s exactly who ESPN’s Todd McShay has Big Blue taking in his 2023 mock that was released on Thursday.

8. New York Giants

Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

The Giants didn’t pick up Daniel Jones’ fifth-year option, which leaves the QB seat up for grabs next season. Levis needs to find more consistency, but he has a live arm and a big 6-foot-3, 232-pound frame. He has thrived in the quick game at Kentucky, with a lot of run-pass options and screen-type stuff, but there are some Josh Allen-like traits here for new Giants coach Brian Daboll. Oh, and Levis connected with receiver Wan’Dale Robinson — whom the Giants drafted in Round 2 this year — 104 times last season.

The Giants are, of course, publicly committed to Daniel Jones at the moment, but that will change if he doesn’t perform well in 2022. And until he does, all early mocks will likely have the Giants targeting a quarterback.

That’s the easy assumption. But what if DJ does play well? Who do the Giants then target in that scenario? Those are the kind of mock drafts fans would love to see this early on because recycling quarterbacks in the top 10 is boring.

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Giants land a new QB in Draft Wire’s never-too-early 2023 mock

In Draft Wire’s never-too-early 2023 mock, the New York Giants take a quarterback with their top-10 pick.

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Is it too early to talk about the 2023 NFL draft? No, not when you’re a rebuilding team such as the New York Giants.

In Draft Wire’s latest 2023 mock from analyst Luke Easterling, the Giants will be drafting in the top 10 again next year and this time they will be taking a quarterback.

6. New York Giants | Kentucky QB Will Levis

The Giants didn’t pick up Daniel Jones’ fifth-year option, so if they end up with a top-10 pick next year, he’s clearly not the answer. Levis has the talent to rise up the draft board with a strong 2023 campaign.

Jones is in a make-or-break situation this season and it looks like Easterling doesn’t believe Jones will make the necessary progress for the Giants to retain him.

Levis, a solid 6-foot-3 and 232 pounds, transferred from Penn State to Kentucky in 2020 and started all 13 games last year for the Wildcats, completing 233 of 353 passes for 2,827 yards with 24 touchdown passes. He was also a threat on the ground, running for 376 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 attempts.

The Giants seem to be on a treadmill to nowhere but could be on the verge of ending that run. They need to either embrace Jones or get past him. If they do move on, Levis could be their guy.

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Predicting each SEC starting quarterback for 2022

Who will be Auburn’s starting quarterback in 2022? Here is a projection:

The SEC is going to be loaded at quarterback in 2022.

While only half of the conference’s starters from 2021 will be returning for next season, there will be several names that have also transferred in that will be interesting to watch (Spencer Rattler to South Carolina, Zach Calzada to Auburn, Jack Miller to Florida, and whoever eventually transfers to Ole Miss).

I’m looking forward to the progression from the signal-callers that started this past season, however. 2021 was a year starved of elite quarterback play across the college football landscape. Watching some of the conference’s experienced QB’s continue to improve will be fun to see.

With all of that being said, here is every SEC team’s projected starting quarterback for the 2022 season.

Former Penn State QB Will Levis was in awe of Pitt QB Kenny Pickett’s signature fake slide

What did former Penn State QB Will Levis have to say about Pitt QB Kenny Pickett’s fake slide in the ACC Championship Game?

Penn State fans may have had a difficult time coming to grips with so many developments during the course of the 2021 season. A season of close losses in almost every meaningful game was compounded with seeing Penn State’s best backup transfer to Kentucky in a year that saw Michigan win the Big Ten and the Pitt Panthers win the ACC with a quarterback who has been named a Heisman Trophy finalist. And to bring things full circle, that backup QB-turned Kentucky starter Will Levis heaped some praise on Pitt’s Heisman hopeful, Kenny Pickett.

During the ACC Championship Game last weekend, Pitt’s Pickett made one of the best running plays you may ever see by a quarterback when he managed to fake out the Wake Forest defense with a fake slide on the move. It was a play you pretty much have to see to believe, so if you did miss it, you should check it out before continuing…

The play immediately led to conversations and debate son whether or not a quarterback should be allowed to deke his opponent in that manner, with some suggesting it creates a competitive disadvantage if the defense is voluntarily giving up on the play believing the quarterback is giving himself up. We’ll let the NCAA rules committee evaluate that one at the appropriate time, but that hasn’t stopped former Penn State quarterback Will Levis from chiming in on the subject.

But don’t count on seeing Levis try to emulate Pickett’s new signature move any time soon.

Levis went on to suggest, once again in a joking manner, that he does want to see the play banned from college football.

Levis and Kentucky will be taking on Iowa in this year’s Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2022. Penn State will face Arkansas in the Outback Bowl, and will do so as a slight favorite.

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Five things to know: LSU vs Kentucky

Here’s five things to know about Kentucky.

Kentucky is riding a hot streak into their home matchup with LSU on Saturday.

The Wildcats are currently undefeated and are 2-0 in SEC play. The team hasn’t been explosive on the stat sheet, but Kentucky continues to find ways to win. They defeated Florida in Lexington for the first time in 35 years this past weekend.

The offense, as average as it may be, has found some type of rhythm. The defense hasn’t been elite but it’s come close as an overall unit. The ‘Cats are a gritty team that has managed to continue to survive. They’re looking to reach bowl eligibility this weekend.

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Here are five things to know about LSU’s upcoming opponent, the Kentucky Wildcats.