The Titans are preparing to start former Penn State QB Will Levis Sunday against the Falcons, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wednesday morning.
Sources: The #Titans are preparing rookie QB Will Levis to start on Sunday, as the 2nd rounder should make his NFL debut.
With Ryan Tannehill (ankle) likely out, coach Mike Vrabel said both Levis and Malik Willis would play. But Levis is expected to be the primary QB. pic.twitter.com/aEb6MEXpiu
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 25, 2023
He’s be starting ahead of Ryan Tannehill, who is dealing with an ankle injury.
Levis was Tennessee’s second-round selection in this year’s draft.
He was expected to go in the first-round, if not the top three. But to pretty much the everybody’s surprise, Levis didn’t go until pick No. 33. Levis’s slide was probably the most intriguing storyline of this year’s draft. ESPN’s cameras constantly showed him waiting in the “green room.” Nonetheless, Levis found a home. He didn’t play much in the preseason due to injury and ended it 9-for-14 with 85 yards.
Before the NFL, he was Kentucky’s starting QB for two seasons.
In two seasons at Kentucky, he threw 43 touchdown passes, 23 interceptions and completed more than 65 percent of his passes.
He had a 17-7 record as Kentucky’s starter. Last season, the team went 10-3 and beat Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. This year, Kentucky finished the regular season 7-5 and awaits when, where and who it will play in its bowl game. Before Kentucky, Levis played at Penn State from 2018-20. He got playing time in his last two seasons, even starting a game in each year, against Rutgers in 2019 and Iowa in ‘20, both at Beaver Stadium.
Although Sean Clifford was Penn State’s starter in 2020, Levis appeared in eight of Penn State’s nine games, being used often as a runner. From 2019-20, Levis rushed for a combined 473 yards, a number that wasn’t far behind his 644 passing yards.
Many Penn State fans still question coach James Franklin’s decision to start Clifford at QB during the 2020 season while Levis backed him up.
