Will Levis Named to Davey O’Brien Watch List
Senior quarterback Will Levis is one of the nation’s top 35 returning quarterbacks named to the 2022 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Preseason Watch List it was announced today by the Davey O’Brien Foundation.
The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s top college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award.
Compiled by a subset of the Davey O’Brien National Selection Committee, this year’s list was selected based on career player performance and expectations heading into the 2022 college football season. All nominees are required to have previously started at least one game at an NCAA Division I institution.
Levis, a 6-foot-3, 232-pound senior from Madison, Connecticut, is entering his second year as the starter at quarterback. He had an impressive debut season for the Wildcats after transferring from Penn State in 2021. The team captain was named to the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2021, the Davey O’Brien Award Great 8 List after accounting for Kentucky’s first five touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 42-21 win over LSU and he earned the Manning Star of the Week twice last season. He also was a two-time FBS National Offensive Player of the Week (vs. LSU and Louisville) and a two-time College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Week honorable mention (vs. LSU and Louisville).
In 13 games, he completed 233 of 353 passes for 2,827 yards and 24 scores, while rushing for 376 yards and nine touchdowns. His 24 TD passes were the most since Andre’ Woodson had 40 in 2007. He totaled 3,202 yards of total offense, the seventh player in school history to reach 3,000 yards of total offense in a season.
The official Davey O’Brien Midseason Watch List will be released on Tuesday, Oct. 18, and will contain all active quarterbacks from the Preseason Watch List, all players honored as a weekly Great 8 recipient through the season’s first seven weeks and any additional quarterbacks approved by the selection subcommittee.
The Midseason Watch List will then be pared down to the 35-player Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2022 on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Fan voting on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) will again play a role in the semifinalist, finalist and winner voting totals when combined with the national selection committee’s ballots. Voting will begin on Oct. 25.
Sixteen semifinalists selected from the QB Class will be named on Tuesday, Nov. 8. The Foundation will announce the three finalists two weeks later (Monday, Nov. 21). The 2022 Davey O’Brien Award winner will be unveiled live on ESPN on Thursday, Dec. 8, during The Home Depot College Football Awards.
The 46th Annual Davey O’Brien Awards Dinner honoring the winner will be held Monday, Feb. 20, 2023, at The Fort Worth Club in Fort Worth, Texas.
