Former Penn State QB Will Levis commits to Kentucky

Penn State transfer quarterback Will Levis has committed to the Kentucky Wildcats, he announced Friday on Twitter. He will be a redshirt sophomore next season.

However, Levis will not arrive until the summer, per Justin Rowland. So while Levis will obviously compete for the job, Beau Allen and Joey Gatewood will get a head start on the race if there is spring football.

Levis, a Class of 2018 recruit, appeared in 14 games in Happy Valley over the last two seasons after redshirt his first year, as he served as the primary backup to Sean Clifford in both seasons. The 6-3, 222-pound Levis completed 61/102 passes for 644 yards and three touchdowns vs. two interceptions. He rushed for 473 yards and six touchdowns on 133 attempts.

Even though he was rarely starting, Penn State still deployed him as a change-of-pace QB to run the ball occasionally. But he’s clearly got some arm talent that’s been showcased on and off the field.

Levis briefly took over the primary QB role this past season, which began in Penn State’s loss at Nebraska, a game Clifford started in but struggled and was benched in favor of Levis with the Nittany Lions down 24-3. Levis nearly rallied his team to victory before falling 30-23. He went 14/31 for 219 yards and carried 18 times for 61 yards.

The following week, Levis got the starting nod vs. Iowa (finished 15th in the final CFP Poll and eighth in total defense) and went 13/16 passing for 106 yards while rushing 15 times for 34 yards and taking three sacks in the 41-21 loss. He would only attempt eight more passes the rest of the season before entering the transfer portal.

Levis’ only other career start came as a redshirt freshman in 2019 vs. Rutgers. He finished that game 8/14 passing for 81 yards with one score and one pick while rushing 17 times for 108 yards.

This certainly adds a big wrinkle to the starting QB situation next season in Lexington, as it was expected to come down to Beau Allen and Joey Gatewood battling for the job. Kentucky also signed and brought in 2021 Somerset quarterback Kaiya Sheron in, while Nik Scalzo is returning for a third season in Lexington.

Saying this, Levis has the most game reps of anyone in Kentucky’s QB room now, and it will be a fresh start for everyone under new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

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