Levis stands out at camp

Jun. 28—Kentucky's Will Levis and Western Kentucky's Jarret Doege were among the 45 college football quarterbacks invited to serve as camp counselors at the prestigious Manning Passing Academy over the weekend at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, Louisiana.

Both are transfers at their respective schools, with Levis entering his second season with the Wildcats after spending two years at Penn State and Doege heading to the Hilltoppers as a grad student from West Virginia.

According to Levis, the camp was a chance to teacher younger quarterbacks, but it was also a learning experience that he couldn't pass up.

"I want to be a sponge and soak up as much information as I can from these guys," he told reporters during camp media availability. "Every one of these quarterbacks has something we can learn from each other. And, obviously, Peyton and Eli with their experience, it's so invaluable. To ask them questions — I'm making sure I am spending as much time as I can without bugging them too much. I just can't wait to take advantage of this."

Despite the fun atmosphere, Levis didn't view the camp as a vacation, either.

"Honestly, one thing that's maybe overlooked is this is an opportunity for us guys to show how we operate as individuals, as a person, with all of these people we look up to," he said. "It's an opportunity to be respectful, act the way you're expected to act in a professional setting — we're here to work."

The UK signal-caller was among the best passers in Friday's Air-It-Out Challenge and later reached the finals of Saturday's skills competition, quickly gaining attention from those in attendance.

According to several college football analysts, Levis showed why he's viewed as a potential top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

"The dude is a specimen," wrote Chris Hummer of 247Sports. "He's listed at 6-foot-3, 232 pounds and honestly looked bigger. And he has a cannon. Even among some of the best QBs in the country the ball came off Levis' hand noticeably differently. His release is so quick, too. There's very little strain for Levis to push the ball downfield 60-plus yards, and he also made tough throws like an 18-yard out look easy.

"I had sort of wondered why Levis had all the hype going into the 2023 draft cycle. I get it now."

Levis was among a number of Southeastern Conference quarterbacks who attended, including Georgia's Stetson Bennett, LSU's Myles Brennan, Tennessee's Hendon Hooker, Texas A&M's Max Johnson, Florida's Anthony Richardson and Alabama's Bryce Young.

And, according to reports, the UK thrower was one of the best performers of the entire weekend.

"First off, Levis immediately sticks out among the group from a stature and size perspective," wrote Charles Power of On3 Sports. "... The ball jumps out of Levis' hand. He showed the best combination of a quick release and velocity of all the quarterbacks on Friday.

"There's no question the Kentucky quarterback's physical tools are top shelf."

Last season, Levis helped guide the Wildcats to a 10-3 record and a victory over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl. He threw for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns with 13 interceptions while completing 66% of his passing attempts. Levis also rushed for 376 yards and nine scores, including four TDs in UK's Governor's Cup victory against Louisville.

Levis's goal for 2023 is simple: Better efficiency.

"One thing for me is probably decision making," he said. "I think that came with reps and came with being a lot more comfortable at the position and the amount of starts that I had.

"Too many interceptions last year. Obviously, trying to minimize that, but that starts with not throwing the ball on those deep shots when it's necessary to take those check-downs. We worked on that a lot in the spring — got the backs a lot of catches, which they were happy about."

Doege is joining a Hilltoppers squad that went 9-5 with record-setting quarterback Bailey Zappe at the helm. Doege, a 6-2, 210-pounder from Lubbock, Texas, threw for 3,048 yards and 19 touchdowns with 12 interceptions at West Virginia last season.

Over the course of his five-year college career — including two years at Bowling Green State and a redshirt campaign at WVU — Doege has recorded 10,494 yards, 79 TDs and 34 interceptions. He'll have one season of eligibility remaining at WKU.