Xavier Grad Shines in NFL Debut

Will Levis had a National Football League (NFL) debut for the ages, throwing four touchdown passes as the Tennessee Titans beat the Atlanta Falcons 28-23 on Oct. 29.  

Levis called his first professional start a “dream come true”, telling reporters, “Just to touch the field in an NFL game, let alone get a win, is incredible.” 

Levis, a 2018 graduate of Xavier High School, was an all-state quarterback with the Middletown-based Falcons where he broke the school’s records for passing yards (2,793) and touchdown passes (27) during the 2017 season. 

Following his graduation from Xavier, Levis spent three years at Penn State University before transferring to the University of Kentucky where he started 24 games over the two seasons, throwing for 33 touchdowns and running for 11 more.

After falling out of the opening round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Titans traded up in round two and selected the first-round prospect with the second selection on day two (33rd overall).

In his press conference following the selection, Titans General Manager Ran Carthon stated that Levis was “hardwired” and “tough.”

“Will is a diligent worker, extremely smart, extremely bright, [and] puts a lot of the time in to be a good quarterback,” added Carthon.
 
A thigh injury during the preseason limited the rookie’s availability over his first few months in a Titans uniform, but when starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill was injured during a week six game against the Baltimore Ravens, Levis got his chance behind center following the team’s bye week. 

Levis told reporters that he was “feeling the butterflies” in the days leading up to his first professional start, but he showed no signs of that once that game kicked off. 

The 6’4” signal caller completed 19 of 29 passes for 238 yards and the four scoring strikes, three to DeAndre Hopkins. 

On his seventh professional pass, Levis hooked up with Hopkins on a 47 yard deep ball and would later find the former All-Pro receiver on scoring strikes from 16 and 61 yards. He also connected with Nick Westbrook-Ikhine with a 33-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. 

“We knew we’d have some opportunities to go over the top on them, but we didn’t want to force it,” Levis told reports at his press conference at Nissan Stadium in Nashville “I wanted to make sure I was making the right decision.”

He became only the third quarterback in NFL history to throw for four touchdowns and no interceptions in a starting debut, joining Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton (1961 with Minnesota) and Heisman Winner Marcus Mariota (2015 with Tennessee).  

​Levis, who was born in Newton, Mass. and grew up in Madison, Conn., had another solid game in his second start at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 2 and is slated to make his third start when the Titans visit Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers this Sunday (Nov. 12) at 1 p.m.