Will Levis reveals what impressed him most about backup quarterback battle
Will Levis has the luxury of not entering this season in a quarterback battle again. After beating out Joey Gatewood last year, Levis went on to become a star for Kentucky and will open this one with plenty of hype around him. However, there is still a QB competition going on in Lexington.
After sophomore Beau Allen transferred during fall camp, it left the backup quarterback spot to either Deuce Hogan or Kaiya Sheron. Levis says the great thing is both have been competitive in practice yet are close enough to keep their competition between the lines.
“Deuce and Kaiya have both been doing a really good job. With Beau leaving, it obviously became those two going head-to-head. One day Deuce has a better day and one day Kaiya has a better day,” said Levis. “What’s been great about it…(is) you never want there to be any animosity between the guys. That’s the one thing I’ve been most impressed with is they’re always there for each other, looking to tell them what they saw on the field when they come off a rep and communicating positively in meetings.”
Hogan was another Big Ten transfer for the Wildcats quarterback room after spending two seasons at Iowa. He played in just one game during his time with the Hawkeyes with just one pass attempt. Meanwhile, Sheron was a Top-10 player in the state of Kentucky in On3’s 2021 Consensus Top Football Recruits. After his three years as a starter in Somerset, he was a midseason enrollee in 2021.
Levis hinted that neither of their plates will be empty this season, though. As a former NFL coach, OC Rich Scangarello apparently has duties for both regardless of who’s the official ‘backup’. According to Levis, Scangarello will expect them to be assets for the Wildcat’s starting quarterback.
“Coach Scangarello has emphasized that their roles (are) going to be more than just being the backup quarterbacks. They have to be a resource for me,” said Levis. “He’s going to have specific roles for both of them for game preparation, whether it’s looking at personnel, getting tips and reads on certain guys, and looking at stuff film wise that I might not have enough time to watch. That’s the role that NFL backup quarterbacks do.”
With Will Levis available, neither Hogan or Sheron will be expected to be seen very much this season. Even so, their roles will be just as important to the team and the quarterback room as anyone else’s. It is up to them to aid Levis this season and, in turn, put on a decent enough audition for the Wildcat’s starting job next fall.