The Tennessee Titans’ fan base was split on the day they traded up to choose Kentucky quarterback Will Levis in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. This was because many Titans supporters were also supporters of their home team, the Volunteers.
Following an unexpected rookie season in which he emerged as the Titans’ starting quarterback, Levis had a message for those same supporters who either didn’t think highly of him or didn’t like that he played for the rival Wildcats.
You should stay on that hill if you’re a Vol fan and you don’t like me just because you like Vol. Don’t alter; don’t make a transition right now,” Levis said. “But I’m open to all fans of the Titans with open arms, and, hopefully, at least since I’ve been drafted, I’ve been able to change some people’s opinions.”
Levis has gone 3-6 as a starter this season while facing one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and having few offensive weapons. Over the course of nine games, he has completed 58.4% of his throws for 1,808 yards and eight touchdowns versus four interceptions.
On December 11, after trailing 27-13 late in the fourth quarter in his Monday Night Football debut, Levis orchestrated two touchdown drives in the final three minutes to lead the Titans to a historic 28-27 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Before then, NFL teams had a 0-767 record when down 14 points with less than three minutes remaining in a game since 2016. The Titans’ victory made them the first team in NFL history to overcome a 14-point deficit with less than 2:55 remaining and win without the advantage of overtime. Tennessee was a 14-point underdog going into the contest as well.
Levis recovered from throwing an early pick-6 to complete 23 of 38 passes for 327 yards and a touchdown in his debut Monday Night Football game. It was the rookie quarterback’s highest-ever passing performance on the show and his first 300-yard passing game in his short NFL career.
Levis completed 10 of 13 throws for 138 yards and a score with a 136.1 passer rating in just the fourth quarter.
On October 29, Levis made his NFL debut and made his first career start. He finished 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and four touchdowns in the Atlanta Falcons’ 28-23 victory.
Previously anticipated to be a top-5 choice, Levis was passed over in the first round and had to drop all the way out before Tennessee selected him in the second round. He became the first quarterback from Kentucky to start an NFL game this season since Tim Couch did it on December 28, 2003, when the Browns were playing their final NFL game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
In the pre-draft phase, Will Levis was severely criticized by several members of the draft cult. It brought up a lot of memories from Josh Allen’s debut. Thus, it will take four years for them to acknowledge their error,” Pete Prisco, a columnist for CBS Sports NFL, stated on social media. “The child possesses it. Bryce Young should not have been selected ahead of him in any scenario. Not at all.”
Levis, who transferred from Penn State to Kentucky, became the only quarterback in school history to win two games against rivals Louisville and Florida. Over the course of his two seasons as a starter, Levis went 17-7 and finished his career at UK ranked fourth all-time in passing touchdowns (43) and touchdowns responsible for (54), fifth all-time in total offense (5,501 yards), and sixth in passing yards (5,232).
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