Will Levis weighs in on NIL, Kentucky Wide Receivers and NFL Draft Stock
Will Levis is preparing for a big season with the Wildcats this fall. As the Kentucky quarterback prepares to take a brief break with his team in May, he spoke with Kentucky Roll Call about the UK offense, the pros and cons of NIL rules and his thoughts on early NFL Mock Drafts that project him as a Top 10 pick.
NIL Provides New Opportunities for Levis
The first complete offseason with NIL rules and the transfer portal in place have produced some hot takes from across the college football media landscape. Those sour grapes are coming from folks who have not personally experienced either. Levis can check both boxes, cashing in on NIL deals after transferring from Penn State to become the Wildcats’ starting quarterback.
“I think that there’s definitely some concerns, things that are going on where it’s not really what NIL intended to be,” said Levis. “Obviously with the rules, people are going to take advantage of them and use them to their full extent. It’s kind of what happens when you have a new framework and new rules, people are going to try to use it to the best of their ability. You can’t blame them.
“But at the same time there are great opportunities and great connections that have been able to be made because of this. Me personally, I’m very grateful for the opportunities it has given me, for the people have connected me with.”
Levis recently inked a deal with Paul Miller Ford to drive a new Ford Big Bend Bronco. He’s also partnered with Claiborne Farms stallion War of Will ahead of the Kentucky Derby. Through a partnership with Athletes Advantage, he’ll be at this week’s race a month after attending Augusta National for the final round of The Masters.
“It was one of those events where you gotta be there to experience it. It really was cool,” he said. “It’s amazing that I get to check off two sports events on my bucket list in a month’s span when I go to the Derby.”
Offensive Transition and Improving Pass-Catchers
Levis will have his third offensive coordinator in as many years when he runs plays for Rich Scangarello this fall. The similar scheme was pitched as a “seamless transition.” That’s exactly what happened this spring.
“It went very smoothly. I think with the kind of offense that we ran last year, they’re both pretty similar, so that helped the transition. There’s some new terminology and there’s some position groups that have more new things to learn than others. But I was very impressed with how we progressed throughout spring. We got to a point where I was really comfortable with where we were. We were in a great spot going into the summer. Feeling good about going into workouts and into fall camp.”
He will have almost an entirely new group of wide receivers catching passes this fall. Levis believes Tayvion Robinson has done all of the right things to step in for Wan’Dale Robinson.
“It’s great to have other guys get opportunities to go out there and be a playmaker for our offense,” said Levis. “I think one name that shined throughout the spring was Tayvion Robinson who came from Virginia Tech and has put his head down and worked since he got here. He’ll be a good threat in the slot for us. He’s a really good natural ball-catcher, moves well and is just a really good kid. It’s been great to work with him and get to know him.”
Another player to keep an eye on is the most experienced receiver on the team, DeMarcus Harris.
“I think DeMarcus Harris has done a great job developing and realizing he has an opportunity to be in a much bigger role this year. He’s worked his tail off and has been someone that I can really trust to throw the ball to and believe he’s going to catch the ball and make things happen.”
Levis on his NFL Draft Stock
Since the conclusion of the NFL Draft, publications are already predicting next year’s picks and believe Levis will be one of the first quarterbacks off the board. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projects Levis to go No. 5 overall to the Atlanta Falcons. It would be an impressive climb for the former backup, but he’s not counting his chickens before they hatch.
“It’s cool, but I mean, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s random media people with their own opinions. Obviously anything you see with that doesn’t guarantee anything. If anything, it’s just kind of cool to hear and see. But I don’t want to spend time and attention on that. I just want to keep doing and working on what’s gotten me so far.”
You can hear the entire conversation with Kentucky’s QB1 by listening to Kentucky Roll Call on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or where ever you get your podcasts.
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