Vince Marrow knew quickly that Will Levis was the guy to run UK offense

Will Levis (UK Athletics Photo)

Remember when Kentucky associate coach Vince Marrow proclaimed that Will Levis would be UK’s starting quarterback this season several days before head coach Mark Stoops came to that decision. Stoops joked he was going to keep Marrow from talking to the media after that but the associate coach was exactly right with his quarterback analysis.

Levis will be the starter in the opening game, Beau Allen is now the backup and Joey Gatewood has transferred to Central Florida.

So what made Marrow so certain Levis was the right guy to be the starter?
 
“I’ve been around a lot of quarterbacks. Will is one of the strongest arms I’ve been around,” Marrow said Thursday.” I was a big fan of Joey, but Will came in the right way, won the team over, and did the little things.

“He’s the first one in (to practice) and the last one to leave. Just his leadership on the field — all of the guys started following him, even the defensive guys.”

Marrow said he was not taking anything away from previous quarterbacks like Stephen Johnson and Terry Wilson who have “won games for us” and emphasized again that Wilson did not get enough credit for what he did as a starter.

Instead, he just thinks Levis is the “guy to do it”  in the SEC for Kentucky in a big way this season.

“His deep balls are very good and the ball just comes out. This league is the closest thing to the NFL and the corners are good and when you run out routes, that ball has to be out and he’s one of the best that I’ve seen throw it,” Marrow said.

One of the best? Now, remember he’s yet to throw a pass in a game at Kentucky. Marrow gets that.

“I still want to see him when we play somebody, but I’ve seen in practice, he looks pretty good,” Marrow said.
 
Former Mr. Kentucky Football Wan’Dale Robinson, a transfer from Wisconsin, agreed.