William Donovan Levis (LEV-is; born June 27, 1999) is an American football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Penn State and Kentucky before being selected by the Titans in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

High school career

Levis was born on June 27, 1999, in Newton, Massachusetts, and grew up in Madison, Connecticut. Later attending Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut.[1][2] He set school records as a senior for passing touchdowns with 27 and passing yards with 2,793. He committed to Penn State to play college football.[3]

College career

Penn State

Levis attended Penn State from 2018 to 2020. After redshirting his first year, he spent the next two as Sean Clifford's backup. He made his first career start against Rutgers in 2019, completing eight of 14 passes for 81 yards with one touchdown and one interception with 108 rushing yards.[4][5][6] Overall at Penn State, he completed 61 of 102 passes for 644 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 473 yards and six touchdowns.

Kentucky

Levis transferred to the University of Kentucky in 2021,[7] after having graduated that May with a bachelor's degree in finance from Penn State's Smeal College of Business.[1] He was named the starter to open the season and in his first start threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns.[8][9][10] Levis started all 13 games for Kentucky, completing 233 of 353 passes for 2,827 yards and 24 touchdown passes while running for 376 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 rushes. Levis led the team to a victory over No. 15 Iowa in the 2022 Citrus Bowl.

Statistics

Season Games Passing Rushing
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Avg TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
Penn State Nittany Lions
2018 0 0 — Redshirted Redshirt
2019 6 1 1−0 28 47 59.6 223 4.7 2 2 105.0 51 213 4.2 3
2020 8 1 0−1 33 55 60.0 421 7.7 1 0 130.3 82 260 3.2 3
Kentucky Wildcats
2021 13 13 10−3 233 353 66.0 2,826 8.0 24 13 148.3 107 376 3.5 9
2022 11 11 7−4 185 283 65.4 2,406 8.5 19 10 151.9 72 -107 -1.5 2
Career 38 26 18−8 479 738 64.9 5,876 8.0 46 25 145.6 312 742 2.4 17

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Vertical jump Broad jump
6 ft 3+7⁄8 in
(1.93 m) 		229 lb
(104 kg) 		32 in
(0.81 m) 		10+5⁄8 in
(0.27 m)		 34.0 in
(0.86 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)
All values from the NFL Combine[11][12]

Despite initially being projected as a first-round pick, Levis surprisingly fell in the draft. On the second day of the draft, the Tennessee Titans traded up to select Levis with the 33rd overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.[13][14]

Personal life

Levis's father, Mike, played football at Denison University, a NCAA Division III school in Ohio, while his mom, Beth Kelley, was a two-time All-American soccer player at Yale.[15] His great-grandfather Alva Kelley was an All-American football player at Cornell University and later a head coach for three college teams.[16] Levis graduated from Penn State's Smeal College of Business with a bachelor's degree in sports medicine.[17]

References

  1. ^ a b "Will Levis". Kentucky Wildcats Athletics. June 30, 2021. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  2. ^ Burns, Joe (November 15, 2017). "Nothing Normal About Xavier QB Will Levis". courant.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Bittner, Adam (July 15, 2017). "Three-star QB Will Levis commits to Penn State". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "First-team reps benefitting Penn State QB Will Levis ahead of Saturday". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 28, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  5. ^ Juliano, Joe (November 30, 2019). "Penn State overcomes lethargic start, defeats Rutgers, 27-6, and awaits bowl destination". Inquirer.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Flounders, Bob (December 1, 2019). "Penn State's Will Levis, thrust into a starting role vs. Rutgers, now knows the painful price the Lions' QB must pay". pennlive. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  7. ^ Donohue, Tyler (February 5, 2021). "Penn State QB transfer Will Levis heading to Kentucky". 247Sports. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  8. ^ Scarborough, Alex (August 15, 2021). "UK names Penn State transfer Levis starting QB". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  9. ^ Story, Mark (September 21, 2021). "After a summer of hype, Will Levis leaves Kentucky football fans wanting more". Kentucky.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  10. ^ Hale, Jon (September 7, 2021). "How Will Levis' Kentucky football debut compares to best QB performances of Stoops era". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "Will Levis Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  12. ^ "Will Levis, DS #4 QB, Kentucky". DraftScout.com. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Walker, Teresa M. (April 28, 2023). "Titans trade up, end QB Will Levis' wait in NFL draft". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Wyatt, Jim (April 28, 2023). "Titans Move Up, Select QB Will Levis in Second Round of Friday's NFL Draft". TennesseeTitans.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  15. ^ Truax, Barkley (August 3, 2021). "Will Levis comes from a family of athletes". Kentucky Kernel. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  16. ^ McGonigal, John (June 5, 2019). "'Never give up': How Penn State QB Will Levis draws inspiration from his grandfather". CentreDaily.com. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  17. ^ Benedetto, Matt (April 28, 2023). "Former Penn State quarterback Will Levis drafted by Titans". ABC27. Retrieved June 1, 2023.

External links