Will Levis will soon face his most insurmountable challenge yet in his young NFL career with the Tennessee Titans. The rookie has one of the AFC’s best, the Miami Dolphins, on the horizon.
But as history suggests, Levis has the numbers and production that point to him being prepared for the trending Super Bowl contender.
Will Levis’ College Stats From His Kentucky Days
Levis got the NFL label plastered onto him in tracing back to his production at Kentucky.
Each week, Levis faced pro-caliber competition in the always deep and loaded Southeastern Conference. Regardless if he lined up in the Bluegrass State or embraced the sweltering humidity in Gainesville, Fla., Levis produced through the air.
In 2021, Levis first got on NFL boards by putting together 2,826 yards, averaged eight yards per play, completed 66% of his throws, and tossed 24 touchdowns with 13 interceptions.
Levis was then limited to 11 games in 2022. However, he still put up respectable production: 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and an improved average yards per play of 8.5.
Again, Levis dealt with the SEC gauntlet on most Saturdays — notably being in the division that produced the two-time national champions Georgia while also facing LSU. But Levis put together notable moments against the following:
- In the 2021 season, he delivered three touchdowns on 14-of-17 passing in a win over LSU.
- He ended up posting an undefeated record against Florida, often an annual thorn in the side of Kentucky fans.
- Defeated another rival in Missouri twice.
- Led two wins against in-state rival Louisville.
Levis did enough to win over fans in Lexington, Ky., but turns out, that wasn’t the only fan base he played for.
Where Else Did Levis Put Up Collegiate Numbers?
The native of Newton, Mass., Levis began his college journey in Big Ten country.
Levis was originally committed to Penn State. At the time, the Nittany Lions were getting the state of Connecticut’s No. 2-ranked prospect for the Class of 2018 by 247Sports.
He saw action in six games in his redshirt freshman season of 2019. He first impressed Happy Valley fans by going 11-of-14 passing for 62 yards and one touchdown against Idaho. Penn State was 5-1 when he saw action.
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In 2020, Levis put together a combined 280 total yards against Nebraska — 219 through the air. However, PSU fell 31-14 to Nebraska. Penn State managed to play in eight games of the truncated season, going 4-4 with Levis in the lineup.
Eventually, Levis took the leap of faith to transfer to Kentucky and went on to flourish from there.
What Type of Defense Is Levis Soon To See?
Again, while the SEC and momentarily, the Big Ten, helped prepare Levis for the league, the Dolphins bring a much different challenge than what Levis is used to.
Miami is sixth in yards allowed. The Dolphins, under the direction of defensive coordinator and longtime NFL coach Vic Fangio, also rank in the top 10 in fewest passing yards allowed and rushing yards.
This is also an opportunistic defense Levis is getting. Miami has returned interceptions for touchdowns the last two weeks — the first a 99-yarder by Jevon Holland against the New York Jets on Black Friday and the second a 33-yard scamper by Andrew Van Ginkel versus the Washington Commanders.
Levis is currently 2-4 overall as a starting quarterback. He’s yet to post a 300-yard day. Now, he gets a top-10 unit on Monday Night Football.
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