‘They believed in me’: Former Penn State QB Levis excited for next chapter with Kentucky
Will Levis couldn’t wait anymore. As he sat on the Penn State bench and looked out onto the Beaver Stadium field — and then up at the scoreboard — his patience slowly withered.
The more Maryland’s lead ballooned in the Nittany Lions’ Week 3 matchup in November, the more his frustration grew. With his team in a 28-point deficit in the opening minutes of the second half, and no momentum on its side, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound backup quarterback thought his name would be called. He felt he had at least earned a chance to turn things around. Heck, just an opportunity to get some reps would’ve been valuable for the then-redshirt sophomore.
“Even halfway through the third quarter, I thought for sure I was going to be able to get some experience, which was much needed for me in this time of my career,” Will told the Centre Daily Times on Friday. “That didn’t come. And that was something that frustrated me.”
Will did enter the following week’s game versus Nebraska early in the second quarter and nearly led a 21-point comeback after starting quarterback Sean Clifford continued to struggle. Then in Week 5 against Iowa, he got his second career start. But Will never felt like the quarterback competition was truly open in Penn State’s 4-5 2020 season. And that’s part of why he made the decision that he did this offseason.
After appearing in 14 games for the Nittany Lions over the past two seasons, Will will graduate this spring and transfer to the University of Kentucky with three years of eligibility left.
“Kentucky being one of the first schools I talked to, I was really, really excited about that and kind of didn’t even look back from there,” Will said. “I realized how incredible that opportunity was for me there and how much they wanted me and how much they believed in me.”
Preparing like a starter each week
When Will would call his parents back home in Madison, Connecticut, a few times a week throughout last season, he often felt a weight lifted off his shoulders.
“We’re very, very close,” said Beth, Will’s mother. “We probably talked more this season than any other season, though.”
Though he sometimes wasn’t content with his role or with the way he was utilized in Penn State’s offense, Will’s father, Mike, and Beth would remind their son to keep his eye on the task at hand. They wanted Will to focus on the team’s goals and worry about his own future after the season ended.
So, that’s what Will did.
He never complained about not starting more games or not getting snaps in the closing drives of blowout losses. Will did whatever he could to help the struggling Nittany Lions win games, just as he’d done from the moment he arrived on campus as a three-star recruit in the Class of 2018.
“He did, I think, as much, if not more, than was asked of him during his three seasons on the football team,” Mike said.
But Will wasn’t always happy with the way the coaching staff used his talent last season.
He finished 2020 with 82 rushes, compared to just 55 pass attempts. And oftentimes, he’d only enter games to bulldoze his way past the first-down marker in short-yardage situations.
“I would have really liked to throw the ball more, because I know I can,” Will said. “I know I can make all the throws. And I just would have liked to be put in situations where the coaches could trust me to throw the ball downfield more often.”
Following Penn State’s Week 7 matchup versus Rutgers, head coach James Franklin admitted he and his staff would “have to mix some passes in there as well with Will in the game” to make sure opponents respected Will’s arm. That never really happened, though.
Will said he would occasionally ask Franklin and then-offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca if a “trust issue” was the reason for him not getting more opportunities to throw the football. But he was told that the team needed him to be more of a runner — and, to his credit, he made the best of it.
Each week, he prepared like he was the starter.
“His mantra is persistence,” Beth said. “And I think he continues to see that through pure perseverance in the face of adversity — if you just continue onward, with positivity and perseverance — you’ll end up where you should be and you’ll feel proud and satisfied.”
An attachment to Penn State
Mike and Beth paused when Will first brought up the thought of transferring one day in December over winter break.
“It was really difficult trying to separate the emotion from the equation, because Penn State’s been wonderful,” Beth said. “Basically, Penn State was the right place for Will just kind of at the wrong time.”
But they began to understand their son’s reasoning the more they continued to discuss the idea.
Will wanted to be a starting quarterback somewhere to give himself a chance to pursue his ultimate goal of one day playing in the NFL. And though Franklin and new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich promised Will there would be an open quarterback competition this spring between him, Clifford and a potential incoming transfer, Will thought his odds of earning a starting role would be greater elsewhere.
“I was in this situation before,” Will said. “I felt like not much has changed. I mean, I know I’ve developed a lot more as a player over these last couple years. But, at the same time, I just didn’t want to find myself in the same position for essentially the third year in a row.”
Of course, the attachment Will and his parents formed to Penn State made it tough to move on.
Mike said he and Beth couldn’t have asked for a better situation for Will academically, socially, and even from a football standpoint.
“It’s been an amazing situation, and it will be an amazing place for Will going forward,” Mike added. “No matter what he does for the rest of his life, he’s going to have relationships and contacts and memories of a really, really nice experience there at Penn State.”
Thinking more logically, Will — with the guidance of his parents — decided to enter the NCAA transfer portal in late January — a choice he “slept on” for a few nights before breaking the news to Franklin in an in-person meeting.
Will said he was a bit surprised with how well Franklin handled it.
“He talked about, first, how he’ll do anything he can to help me and I can always reach out to him for help,” Will said. “And he said he understood. I think he kind of knew that it was something that I had been thinking about for a while.”
A chance to make an impact with the Wildcats
From the minute Will entered his name in the transfer portal, his phone began blowing up. So much so that he had to set his phone down to “decompress” the first day of being in the portal before he communicated with any coaches.
Several schools, including about eight Power 5 programs, demonstrated interest. But with Kentucky, it was almost just meant to be.
The Wildcats’ first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen was the offensive coordinator at Maine in 2016 and 2017, when he originally tried to recruit Will as a high schooler. Coen remembered Will. And after watching Will’s film from last season, he was sold on bringing him in.
“They were really looking for somebody with Will’s skill set to really kind of help them get to the next level,” Mike said. “And that’s an athlete, somebody who can throw the football, can move really, really well within the pocket, outside the pocket, who’s shown the toughness to go ahead and really be able to get things done both on the field and off the field.”
Looking at Kentucky’s roster and the trajectory of the program excited Will. He believes his ability as a quarterback will help bolster a team that already has a lot of “the pieces they need to succeed.”
Will doesn’t expect anything to be handed to him. He does feel like he has a chance to have a significant impact with the Wildcats, though.
“They really believe strongly in my ability to be a pass-first quarterback who can also run ... who can lead this team to great things,” Will said. “And so just with kind of how I gathered things and with the questions answered, I really do think that I have a really good shot to be their starting quarterback.”
When Will looks back on his time at Penn State, he has no regrets or hard feelings. Through every experience he had with the Nittany Lions, there were lessons learned.
“I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Will said with no hesitation.
Even as he sat on the bench in that early November contest, watching helplessly as his team continued to fall behind to Maryland, there was much to be gained.
“These are all kinds of learning lessons and experiences that will help him succeed when his time does come,” Mike said. “And, you know, fortunately for him, at first glance and looking at it right now, he believes and we believe that time will come this fall at Kentucky.”
This story was originally published February 14, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
