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What Are NFL Scouts and Insiders Saying About Will Levis following Tennessee Loss?

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UK Athletics

The easiest way to describe the game on Saturday in Knoxville is an all-systems failure.

All sides of the ball, including an atrocious special teams showing, were utterly embarrassing in the 44-6 loss. On the national scale, quarterback Will Levis will receive some heat – especially toward his draft stock – as a result of his 98-yard showing that included 0 TDs and 3 interceptions.

That begs the question, how badly did this game hurt Levis’ draft stock?

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One would be lying if they said it didn’t affect it, it very well did. Levis had many of his skills questioned, including his accuracy, real-time decision-making, and leading an offense in what was a big-time atmosphere.

With all of that being said, Will is still projected to be a first-round pick. As most Kentucky fans know, at one point he was as high as the #1 overall pick. Following his performances through the last few games, his stock has fluctuated and more questions are being asked.

Despite this, Levis continues to be tabbed as the third or fourth-best quarterback in this year’s class, behind CJ Stroud (Ohio State) and Bryce Young (Alabama). Given how the season has gone and each player’s performance, it’s fair for NFL front offices to put those two guys over Levis in leading a franchise.

What NFL Scouts Had To Say Following The Loss

Yet, there is some not-so-bad news.

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NFL scouts and insiders didn’t put the poor performance solely on Levis. Instead, they are saying that he is in a worst system than he was a season ago and putting some blame on the staff.

It’s hard to argue that especially when you look at this stat, showing that he isn’t getting the opportunities to throw it downfield.

However, Levis still has things to be held accountable for, and he recognized that in his post-game presser. He owned up to his mistakes regarding balls that shouldn’t have been thrown and plays that resulted in lost yards.

Being the third or fourth-best quarterback in the draft, (Hendon Hooker as the other QB floating at that QB3 spot) can mean a lot of things and it’s going to be interesting where he falls.

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Despite some poor play, it looks like Levis is getting the benefit of the doubt and still has some valuable NFL traits, including his size, arm, and intangibles. Given that, fans should expect him to still be atop the first round of this year’s draft, with ample amount of opportunity to rise in the remaining four games of the season.

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Ray Davis Shows Selflessness and Humility After Historic Performance

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Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) walks off the field after the game against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Kentucky running back Ray Davis put up a performance for the ages on Saturday against Florida, one that put him among the top of the Kentucky Football record books.

Davis rushed for a career-high 280 yards, the third most in Kentucky football history, which included three rushing touchdowns and one reception for a touchdown. Close to the single-game Kentucky record for rushing yards, Davis stayed humble after the game, giving credit to his offensive line.

“You’ve got to give credit to the O-line and the receiver corps,” Davis said after the game. “These guys were blocking downfield. I was just staying with it.”

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When asked about his historic performance, Davis declined to take any individual credit, citing the “collective unit” made history. “I didn’t make history, our O-Line made history. WE ran for over 300 yards. As a collective unit, we made history.”

Davis’ performance earned him SEC Offensive Player of The Week, while also establishing himself as one of the SEC’s top running backs.

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NFL Analyst Dan Graziano Expects Will Levis To be Titans Starter Soon

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ennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis (8) walks to the field before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Nissan Stadium.
© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Many analysts and folks around the NFL expected Will Levis to be a top pick in the NFL Draft. It was already odd to see Levis fall out of the top ten, but when he fell out of the first round, people were shocked.

However, it didn’t take long for Levis to find a new home. With the 33rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Tennessee Titans drafted Will Levis. Surely, Levis would become the starter in Nashville, right?

The Titans have an aging, declining quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, and the Malik Willis experiment seems to have failed. Despite those things, Levis is playing second string alongside Willis.

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Tennessee is 2-2, coming off a 27-3 win against the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite that, it may be time for a change at QB, and NFL analyst Dan Graziano thinks that change is coming.

Graziano said it is NOT an overreaction to think that Will Levis will be the starting quarterback for the Titans by November.


With the Titans heading toward impending doom as they fall to the bottom of the AFC South, why not give Levis a shot? After all, he was just drafted with a 2nd round draft pick, and the sky is the limit for him.

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RECAP: Three Takeaways from Kentucky’s Historic Win Over Florida

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Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday was a fun day in Lexington, Kentucky. The BBN was up and early, energized and ready to go as the Florida Gators came to town. However, Mark Stoops’ team was just as ready for the game. The Cats took a big lead early and never looked back as they won 33-14.

To start the game, Ray Davis set the tone early with a 22 yard run, a receiving touchdown, and then a massive 75 yard dash to the house. Kentucky would lead 16-0 after fifteen minutes of play.

The 2nd quarter was pretty uneventful for the most part, but Ray Davis would score his third touchdown of the day, and Florida would answer with their own touchdown via Graham Mertz finding Hayden Hansen in the end zone. UK led 23-7 at the break.

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To begin the 2nd half, Ray Davis would score his fourth touchdown of the day. Then, Mertz would find superstar receiver Ricky Pearsall for a 33 yard touchdown. Heading into the 4th quarter, Kentucky was up 30-14.

Brad White and the defense would stop Florida again and again, and Alex Raynor would put the icing on the cake to make the final score 33-14. Kentucky would end up beating Florida for the third consecutive season.

Execution on Defense

Other than a couple of big plays, Kentucky held their own against the Florida Gators offense. Coming into the game, everyone knew that Florida was a run heavy team fueled by a two headed monster in the backfield in Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr.

All week long, Brad White and Coach Stoops preached that it was imperative for Kentucky to execute. They noted that physicality and technique were going to be key in this game.

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From making open field tackles to getting pressure in the backfield, Kentucky did everything they needed to do on the defensive side of the ball. Very impressive game from Coach White and his unit.

Big Blue Wall Finally In Gear

One of the biggest surprises of the day was that Kentucky’s o-line really dominated against Florida. The Gators have a very big, strong, and rather athletic front seven, but they were no match for Kentucky.

Suddenly, all of those costly holding calls were nonexistent. There were no bad snaps, and of course, they paved the way to Ray Davis’ historic game. Despite finishing with 280 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, Davis had to give credit to the guys up front.

“I didn’t make history. Our o-line made history… As a collective unit, we made history.” The offensive line did all the small things right. However, they did the big things right too, and it resulted in making history.

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This Team Can be Special

Now, time for the news that the BBN wants to hear: the 2023 Kentucky Wildcats can be special. Kentucky is 5-0 for only the third time in school history. The first two times? 2018 and 2021.

It won’t be an easy road for Kentucky from here on out. The brutal gauntlet of the SEC schedule is here, and the Cats will face the toughest team they will all season, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.

We’ve already seen some special stuff from Kentucky over the last several seasons. 10-win seasons and Citrus Bowl wins are cool, but maybe this is the year UK takes the next step. For that to happen, Kentucky must do the impossible next week.


You can view the full box score from UK’s 33-14 win below:

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