LOGAN, Utah -- Utah State quarterback Levi Williams will not return for his senior season in 2024, intending to apply for Navy SEAL training following the Aggies' upcoming bowl game.
Williams revealed in a radio interview with a Salt Lake City radio station on Monday he intends to skip his final year of collegiate eligibility with the goal of becoming a SEAL officer in 2025.
"I just want to be in a spot where I can protect this great country where we get to play football with the freedom to do that," Williams told KSL 97.5 FM. "I think this is the best country in the world, so I'd like to keep it that way and protect it as long as I can."
The junior quarterback plans to take a SEAL qualifying fitness test after the season. It is a rigorous test that features a 500-yard swim, maximum push-ups, pull-ups, and curl-ups done in separate two-minute intervals, and a 1.5-mile run. The individual time for either the swim or the run cannot exceed 12 ½ minutes.
Williams said he embraces the challenge and is eager to follow in the footsteps of parents and grandparents who served in the military before him. Being a SEAL specifically appeals to him because of the chance to be in a team-oriented environment.
"What I love about their ethos and their motto is that no one guy is better than the other," Williams said. "It takes all of them to complete a mission."
Williams spent three seasons with Wyoming before entering the transfer portal following the 2021 season. He joined Utah State and has appeared in 16 games for the Aggies over two seasons.
The seldom-used Williams began the season as Utah State's third-string quarterback but made his first start since 2021 in the Aggies' regular season finale against New Mexico. He played mostly on special teams during the season, but injuries to Cooper Legas and McCae Hillstead forced Aggies coach Blake Anderson to turn to the former Wyoming transfer to run the offense.
Williams tallied 351 all-purpose yards to help Utah State edge the Lobos 44-41 in double overtime. He accounted for five touchdowns -- culminating in a game-winning 13-yard run after retrieving a snap that went behind him -- to help the Aggies become bowl eligible for a third consecutive season.