Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops told ESPN on Friday that starting quarterback Will Levis was “good to go” for Saturday’s game against No. 16 Mississippi State.
Levis, rated by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. as the No. 2 quarterback prospect in the 2023 NFL draft, was suffering from turf toe and missed last week’s 24-14 loss to South Carolina. Levis was injured two weeks ago in the 22-19 loss to Ole Miss and also dislocated the middle finger on his left non-throwing hand in the second quarter of that game.
Stoops said Levis looked healthy in practice this week and that there were no setbacks. Levis spent much of last week in a protective walking boot on his left foot.
Redshirt freshman Kaiya Sheron made his first career start at quarterback last week for Kentucky and finished 15-of-27 for 178 yards and two touchdowns with an interception. He was sacked six times, which has been a problem all season for the Wildcats. They’ve allowed 25 sacks in six games, ranking them 129th nationally out of 131 teams.
Levis returns to the lineup with the No. 22 Wildcats trying to break a two-game losing streak. They’ve yet to score more than 19 points on offense in three conference games. Levis has passed for 1,405 yards and 12 touchdowns with four interceptions in his first five games. He’s also scored two rushing touchdowns.
Whereas Kentucky has had trouble scoring points, Mississippi State is averaging 38.5 points per game and is tied for seventh nationally with 32 touchdowns.