Friday Headlines: Kaiya Sheron Edition

Sheron may be in line to start on Saturday if Levis is out vs. South Carolina.

By John Morgan Francis@MonJorgan Oct 7, 2022, 6:40am EDT

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NCAA Football: Youngstown State at Kentucky

If you haven’t heard by now, you’re in for a surprise to hear star quarterback Will Levis is questionable for Kentucky’s game vs. South Carolina on Saturday. His intensely dislocated finger was shown during last weekend’s game at Ole Miss, but Levis is apparently dealing with a lower leg injury that came as a result of the same play as his injured finger.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops shared with media on Thursday that Levis isn’t “out” but is banged up. So, that leads to the question of who will take his place if he’s indeed held out of a game Kentucky needs to win to get back on track?

Meet Kaiya Sheron, Kentucky’s backup quarterback and expected starter if Levis misses time. Sheron’s last full season of football came when he was a junior in high school. He had for 3,218 yards and 28 touchdowns through the air with 928 rushing yards and nine touchdowns on the ground. He can run, throw a deep ball and is fairly accurate.

He was a three-star high school prospect in the 2021 class from Somerset, KY who decided to play for the Wildcats over Louisville, Marshall and others. Sheron is now a redshirt freshman this season and is likely the reason former UK QB Beau Allen transferred to Tarleton State back in August. He was listed as QB3 on the depth chart, but was rumored to be making significant ground on the QB2 spot and eventually did following Allen’s transfer.

Sheron made his regular season debut during Kentucky’s final drive vs. Youngstown State, but didn’t attempt a pass. He’s similar to Levis, as he has a big 6-3, 208 pound frame with lots of potential. The young QB also impressed former UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen in practice last season, with Coen praising Sheron’s “big arm” and ability to do “nice things.”

It’s no secret Kentucky’s success is centered around Levis. However, the Wildcats boast one of the better defensive units in the country and now have star Chris Rodriguez back in the fold. Everyone would prefer to have Levis on the field for Saturday’s game, but would rather see Sheron take the reins for one game instead of risking further injury to Levis. There’s not much optimism that we’ll find out before Saturday if Levis or Sheron will be starting.