Can new quarterback Brock Vandagriff be Will Levis 2.0 for Kentucky football?
Monday night was not a good night for Will Levis’ critics.
With his team down two touchdowns with 4:34 to go, the former Kentucky quarterback led the Tennessee Titans to a thrilling comeback victory over the AFC East-leading Miami Dolphins 28-27 on “Monday Night Football.”
“Will Levis,” ESPN color commentator Dan Orlovsky said at game’s end, “was the best player on the field.”
Next question: Can Brock Vandagriff be Will Levis 2.0?
Vandagriff is the former Georgia backup quarterback who announced last week that he is transferring to Kentucky for the 2024 season. In fact, Vandagriff was spotted on the sidelines of the Georgia State High School Football Championships last weekend at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta chatting it up with UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
New Kentucky QB commit Brock Vandagriff and Kentucky OC Liam Coen hanging out inside Mercedes Benz Stadium.
Vandagriff is watching his father's team, Prince Avenue, compete for another state title. pic.twitter.com/aLzO2ZrIe9— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) December 11, 2023
It was Coen who brought Levis to Kentucky in 2021 as a transfer from Penn State. With Coen, the former Los Angeles Rams assistant, as his play-caller, Levis responded by completing 233 of 353 passes for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions as the Wildcats finished 10-3, including a win over Iowa in the Citrus Bowl.
The next chapter of the story was a bit different. The 2022 story. Coen returned to the Rams. Mark Stoops hired San Francisco 49ers quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello to replace Coen. Battling injures for much of the season, Levis experienced a frustrating campaign that split the opinions of NFL scouts. Some loved his potential. Others believed him to be wildly overrated.
Asked what he told NFL scouts, Coen replied, “His best football is ahead of him.”
The Titans apparently agreed. After what was for Levis a gut-wrenching reality show on the first night of the NFL draft, in which he went undrafted, the UK quarterback was selected by Tennessee early in the second round. Seven games into his rookie season, Levis became the Titans’ starting quarterback.
Operating behind a shaky offensive line, Levis’ play has been what you might expect from a first-year starter in the NFL. Some good. Some bad. He threw four touchdown passes in his first start, but just three in his next five. Before Monday, the Titans were 2-4 in his six starts.
“I can’t imagine that you can come away from watching Will Levis and the Titans and say, ‘Will Levis doesn’t belong as an NFL quarterback,’” NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said on “The Install” podcast. “He looks like he belongs as an NFL quarterback.”
This is the Will Levis we saw at Kentucky in 2021. #BBN #ukfootball https://t.co/qhuvOddF0j
— John Clay (@johnclayiv) December 12, 2023
Levis looked like more than that Monday night. He threw an early interception for a touchdown and made a bad pitch late that resulted in a fumble that helped Miami to its 27-13 lead. Over the last two drives, Levis was terrific, however.
He made a perfect 23-yard throw to Nick Westbrook-Ikhine that set up his 3-yard pass to Deandre Hopkins for the score that cut Miami’s lead to 27-21 with 2:40 left.
After a quick Miami three-and-out, Tennessee took over at its own 36 with 2:15 left. Levis found Hopkins for 36 yards. He hit tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo for 16 yards to the Miami 12. Two plays later, Derrick Henry scored from 3 yards out and Levis’ celebration went viral.
Down 14 with 4:34 to play, Will Levis led back-to-back TD drives (including a 2-pt conversion) totaling 139 yards in just 2:20 to win the game. Hell of a performance
pic.twitter.com/AE1P1sMjMo— Justin Graver (@titansfilmroom) December 12, 2023
It’s hard to ignore the similarities between Levis and Vandagriff. Levis is 6-foot-4, 229 pounds. Vandagriff is 6-3, 209. Levis spent three years as a backup at Penn State. Vandagriff spent three years as a backup at Georgia. Levis failed to beat out Sean Clifford, now the backup quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Vandagriff failed to beat out Carson Beck, who threw for 3,738 yards and 22 touchdowns last season.
The constant is Coen. His return to UK this season as offensive coordinator produced mixed results, but this time he’s staying put. He has an entire offseason to work on the continuity that the Cats’ attack desperately needs.
He also has his quarterback. This isn’t to say that Brock Vandagriff will be Will Levis, that he’ll lead Kentucky to a 10-win season, be a high NFL draft pick and star on “Monday Night Football,” but that’s the goal.
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