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Will Levis
American football player (born 1999) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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William Donovan Levis (LEV-is; born June 27, 1999) is an American professional football quarterback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions and Kentucky Wildcats before being selected by the Titans in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.
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Early life
Levis was born on June 27, 1999, in Newton, Massachusetts, and grew up in Madison, Connecticut. He attended Xavier High School in Middletown, Connecticut, where he set school records as a senior for passing touchdowns with 27 and passing yards with 2,793.[1][2] Levis committed to Pennsylvania State University to play college football.[3]
College career
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Penn State
Levis attended Pennsylvania State University from 2018 to 2020. After redshirting his first year, he spent the next two as Sean Clifford's backup. He made his first career start against Rutgers in 2019, completing eight of 14 passes for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception with 108 rushing yards.[4][5][6] At Penn State, Levis completed 61 of 102 passes for 644 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also rushed for 473 yards and six touchdowns.
Kentucky
Levis transferred to the University of Kentucky in 2021,[7] after having graduated that May with a bachelor's degree in finance from Penn State's Smeal College of Business.[1] He was named the starter to open the season and in his first start threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns.[8][9][10] Levis started all 13 games for Kentucky, completing 233 of 353 passes for 2,827 yards and 24 touchdown passes while running for 376 yards and nine touchdowns on 107 rushes. Levis led the team to a victory over No. 15 Iowa in the 2022 Citrus Bowl.
College statistics
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Professional career
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Despite initially being projected as a first-round pick, even being rumored to go first overall just days before the draft,[13] Levis surprisingly fell to the second day of the 2023 NFL draft, where the Tennessee Titans traded up to select Levis with the 33rd overall pick in the second round.[14][15]
2023 season
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Levis began the season as the third string quarterback behind starter Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis.
On October 29, 2023, with Tannehill sidelined by an ankle injury, Levis made his NFL debut and first start, finishing with 238 passing yards and four touchdowns during a 28–23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.[16][17] The following week, Levis made his second start against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football, throwing for 262 yards and an interception in the 20–16 road loss.[18]
On November 7, 2023, head coach Mike Vrabel announced that Levis would be the starting quarterback for the Titans moving forward.[19] On December 11, Levis threw for 327 yards, a touchdown, and an interception as the Titans defeated the Miami Dolphins on the road. The Titans trailed by 14 points with 2:49 remaining in the game, but Levis led back-to-back scoring drives to push the Titans ahead by a score of 28–27.[20] This marked Levis' first career 300-yard passing game.
Levis finished his rookie season with 1,808 passing yards, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions in nine games and starts.[21]
2024 season
Levis became the Titans' starting quarterback in 2024 following the departures of Tannehill and Willis, with newly signed Mason Rudolph named as backup.[22] Levis began the season with a rocky start, going 1–4 during his first five games while completing 86 of 125 passes for 699 yards, five touchdowns, and seven interceptions.[23] Levis led the league in total turnovers during this period,[24] including one that notably went viral of Levis falling to his knees after throwing an interception that blew a fourth quarter lead against the Chicago Bears in their season opener.[25][26]
During the Titans' 31–12 victory over the Miami Dolphins on September 30, Levis injured his AC joint after diving on a third down and was relieved by Rudolph.[27][28] Although Levis was cleared after a bye week and played in the Week 6 20–17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts,[29] he was sidelined again for the next three games after re-aggravating the injury.
Levis returned from injury in Week 10 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He had a stronger showing in the next game against the Minnesota Vikings, throwing for 295 yards, an interception, and a career high 98-yard touchdown to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine during the 23–13 loss. The touchdown pass tied the franchise record for longest passing touchdown.[30] Levis' improvement continued the following week, leading the Titans to a 32–27 upset road victory over the rival Houston Texans, completing 18 of 24 passes for 278 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.[31]
During Week 13 against the Washington Commanders, Levis completed 18-of-37 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers, a mixed performance on a harsh 42–19 road loss that was marked by team fumbles and a 28–0 deficit in the first half.[32] The Titans' woes continued with a 10–6 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the next game, the first game of the season where the Titans were unable to score a touchdown and culminated the following week against the Cincinnati Bengals. Against the Bengals, Levis completed eight of 12 passes for 89 yards and three interceptions, ultimately leading to a replacement by Rudolph in the third quarter of the 37–27 loss.[33][34]
Levis was subsequently benched the next two games, but alternated with Rudolph in the season finale against the Texans, completing nine of 17 passes for 175 yards and a touchdown.[35][36] Levis finished his second professional season with 2,091 passing yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions for an 81.4 passer rating in 12 games and starts.[37]
2025 season
Due to the team's poor outing in 2024 with a 3–14 record, the Titans held the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[38] In the offseason leading up to the draft, new Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi stated: "He's a young quarterback. He's had some good moments and like any other young quarterback, they're continuing to develop", showing confidence in Levis' ability to develop while with the team.[39] Despite this, the Titans drafted Cam Ward first overall.[40]
On July 21, 2025, it was announced that Levis would have surgery on his throwing shoulder and would miss the entire 2025 season.[41] On July 23, he was officially placed on season-ending injured reserve.[42]
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NFL career statistics
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Personal life
Levis's father, Mike, played football at Denison University, an NCAA Division III school in Ohio, while his mom, Beth Kelley, was a two-time All-American soccer player at Yale.[43] His great-grandfather Alva Kelley was an All-American football player at Cornell University and later a head coach for three college teams.[44] Levis graduated from Penn State's Smeal College of Business with a bachelor's degree in finance.[45]
Levis gained media attention in the build-up to the 2023 Draft for his strange eating and drinking habits, most notably eating unpeeled bananas and drinking coffee with mayonnaise. On August 22, 2023, Levis announced that he had signed a lifetime supply contract of Hellmann's mayonnaise.[46][47] In August 2024, Hellmann's announced it was creating a fragrance inspired by Levis named "Will Levis No. 8, Parfum de Mayonnaise".[48]
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References
External links
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