Blue White Illustrated

Hoping to build the prospect's speed a little more, Franklin encouraged Levis to go out for track this spring before heading o5 to college. "He wants to see me in those 4.5 numbers, which is de4nitely ob- tainable for me," Levis said. "That's why I did track. Coach Franklin was always telling me that his main focus for me this o5-season is just to try to get [faster]." Whatever it takes to improve his num- bers, Levis said he is going to do it. And he is already making progress. Every time he ran the 100-meter dash in a meet, he lowered his mark. His finale was his personal best, as he finished in 11.28 seconds. At the time, he weighed more than 225 pounds and stood 6-foot- 3. Levis also uses numbers to his advan- tage when he's on the football 4eld – and not just for measuring. His quick count comes in handy when he's looking over defenses before the snap, identifying their strength, calculating angles and dis- covering the correct combination to crack the puzzle in front of him. "How the pieces of math 4t together, there's always a set solution," Levis said. "There's always a set solution to a de- fense. There is the free-ball aspect where you can go out there and do di5erent things, but there are always plays and combinations that 4t against di5erent defenses, like there are always equations and [formulas] that 4t with certain prob- lems." Reading defenses is considered to be one of Levis's strengths, and that's a skill that can't be quanti4ed using a set crite- ria. It's more intangible than that, and something Levis is continually trying to hone. "As a quarterback, it's one of the things you have to improve upon year to year," he said. "Just maturing and getting more starts under your belt is the best way to do that. I got to the point where I got a lot better at that my senior year, recognizing coverages, choosing plays and selecting routes that would be open against certain coverages. But it gets a lot more compli- cated with the next level at college." Thanks to those good grades he got in math class and his other courses, Levis has been able to get a jump on his college career by enrolling more than a month earlier than many of his soon-to-be classmates. His school didn't allow him to graduate in December, but because Levis was exempt from all but two of his 4nals he was able to wrap up his high school ca- reer and enroll at Penn State in time for the 4rst six-week summer session, which started May 14. "Quick turnaround, but I'm ready for it and I want to get there early," he said. "Especially as a quarterback, because I couldn't early enroll, just to get the play- book down better and get a good handle on things and then serve as a leader when the rest of the [incoming freshmen] come in June." ■ HUB-Robeson Center • On-Campus ©2018 McAlister's Franchisor SPV LLC - 222081 Pecanberry Salad with fresh strawberries and blueberries, candied pecans and grilled chicken, served with Fat-Free Raspberry-Pecan Vinaigrette dressing Enjoy it with your choice of Spring Mix or Spinach A Berry tasty salad

• Cover