Will Levis Discusses Year One of NIL, Upcoming Kentucky Football Season with Paul Finebaum

On3 imageby:Nick Roush08/02/22

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Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has been a popular college football player this offseason. A poster-child for the NIL era, he’s used the new NCAA rules to his advantage. Not only has he profited, it’s taken him all over the country. He joined The Paul Finebaum Show Monday afternoon to discuss it, but he’s more eager to finally hit the football field with his teammates.

“We’ve got some great games ahead. Obviously, we’re only focusing on that first one against Miami, Ohio right now, but I’m excited to be on the field,” Levis said. “We talked about some NIL stuff. Even though that’s exciting, I’m more excited to not worry about that at all for the next few months and just focus on ball because that’s what I’m here to do.”

Offseason Improvements for Levis

Levis has been popular among NFL Draft circles. Despite all the love, he knows he’s far from a polished product. Not only is he watching his film, he’s learned lessons from other elite passers, particularly at the Manning Passing Academy.

“It’s so much fun because every dude has those little minute details that differentiates themselves from other players. We know that we can’t replicate ourselves after any one dude, but anytime you can see a guy like Bryce (Young) make plays with his feet and put himself in a position, despite having to move off platform, and still deliver a ball on time and accurately, watching that film, it makes you realize what works for him and why that worked in that situation.

“If you can tie that in and bring that into your game, however you can that fits you in your play style, that’s awesome. I can say that about so many dudes at the pro level and the college level, but we’re all our individual players and we all have to just mold our games into how we think we can best improve ourselves as individuals.”

He’s ready to show the Big Blue Nation what he can accomplish after an exceptional offseason. Levis just had one request for Kentucky fans.

“Get ready. Bring the energy and bring the noise. Last year you guys were awesome at Kroger Field. We’re going to need that same energy this year.”

The Positive Side of NIL

While most call-in shows have spent time this offseason sharing their grievances with NIL, it’s not all bad. Levis was briefly joined on the program by INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale who explained that these rules do not reinvent the wheel. They just get the wheels turning earlier.

“Guys like Will and so many other athletes are now doing what they would usually wait to start doing after they’re done playing, which is start to think about themselves as more than an athlete,” said Cavale. “(They’re) starting to think about how they can open themselves up and really use the education they get in college to put it to work and learn how to network and learn how to find opportunities to make money with their name, image and likeness. It’s making them better as human beings. It’s preparing them even more for life after sports.”

Will Levis is happy to be a part of the first wave of athletes in the NIL era. He’s taking advantage of the rules in place to the best of his abilities, while realizing the success off the field is a product of success on the field.

“It’s been fun. As a business guy myself, if anything I’ve used it as a way to educate myself in all these different types of areas on how to create a brand for myself and make sure everything I’m doing on the social side, and more importantly on the field with the team, is in line and puts me in a great position to capitalize on the opportunities.”

You can hear the entire interview in the Hour 3 podcast of The Paul Finebaum Show.

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2024-03-28