Kentucky Wildcats College Football Media Day Quote, 07/20/2022

On senior quarterback Will Levis:

Will Levis is a guy who is unapologetically him and I’ve said this before, but I find it refreshing. People on social media sometimes give off a false narrative or try to be too perfect in a sense, but Will’s the kind of guy who can be unapologetically him and I find it refreshing. He’s also encouraged to do so. He’s not just receiving a bunch of backlashes for it.

On the temperament of the “Big Blue Wall” and the challenges with playing offensive line:

The temperament of the Big Blue Wall, I feel like, is very balanced. We’re a very close group. We have a lot of chemistry. We have that balance when we’re in the locker room we can be joking around having fun with each other, but when it’s time to hit that film, time to hit that weight room and practice, it’s go time. It’s all seriousness, and I think we’ve had that culture since Coach Stoops and Coach Merrill have put it in place.

On if Kentucky is a football school now:

University of Kentucky is a everything school. We’re getting to a point where we’re not just focusing on basketball and not just focusing on football. Our rifle team has just won a national championship. Our volleyball team just won an SEC championship. Our basketball team just won an SEC championship, as well as our women’s swimming and diving team. I believe that Mitch Barnhart and President Capilouto have put a great support system in place for that. Not just football, not just basketball, but every sport gets the attention it deserves, and every sport is able to thrive.

On how his open-heart procedure modeled him into the man he is today:

While it was very tough, it allowed me to take a step back and really evaluate who I was, what I was doing and why I was doing it. Going from playing football, playing every snap, I was a multi-sport athlete just going from doing all those things to not being able to help your mom with the groceries when she comes in. Little things like that makes you question who you are, and that’s when it really helped me understand that it was important to be more than just a football player. Who was I when I didn’t have a uniform on? What was I representing? Those are lessons that have come with me through this process.