Levi Wentz has come a longer way than most. Anyone who makes the NFL is part of football’s 1 percent, the tiny slice of players who ascend to the game’s highest level. It wasn’t long ago that Wentz was a lanky outside linebacker in a Group of Five conference. Or a little before that, a basketball player who always thought of, but never went out for, football.
To ensure Wentz’s football dreams weren’t whimsical, his family, who adopted him early in childhood, gave him a test to prove he was serious.
“I approached my dad with the idea,” he tells me in an interview last week. “Kind of kept bugging him about it. That was the end of my junior year. Going into that summer, he was like, if you really wanna do it, you gotta prove to me that you actually wanna do it. And this isn’t just something like, I’m bored, and I want something to do.
“He gave me the challenge of doing 100 push-ups in a row. Once I got 100 push-ups in a row, then he would let me play, ultimately. I think he said that with the thought that no way he is gonna do it. Every night before I went to bed, I would just add five on from the previous night. And then eventually, probably halfway through the summer, I hit 100. They couldn’t stop me then.”
Getting permission to play was step one. Learning the game was the next daunting task. Joining Pine-Richland’s squad, he wanted to play wideout and score touchdowns. Not knowing the difference between a post and a corner route, coaches had other ideas.
“They [said], line up on the hash and run a post. I was like, ‘Can you say it in English this time? Because I don’t even know what you’re talking about.’ With the little amount of time I had to get ready for the season, receiver wasn’t gonna work for me ’cause I just had too much to learn and not enough time.”
Coaches moved him to cornerback and explained the position in relatable terms.
“Go guard this guy like it’s basketball. So I was able to translate that. I had a really good corner coach and a really good head coach, Coach Kasperowicz, obviously. And then my corner coach, Brock Baranowski, they really helped me translate everything playing corner into like basketball terms. It’s like moving your feet shuffling with him. Now, you’re allowed to use your hands more. It really helped me click the way they were describing to me.”
Fast learner he was, Wentz helped lead Pine-Richland to the WPIAL finals before falling to Central Catholic. In that short time, Wentz got on college radars. Old Dominion was the final team to offer, and Wentz committed. He knew the school but not his position. He committed as a cornerback, was quickly moved to safety, and even spent a season as a lanky and miscast outside linebacker.
Stuck on defense for his entire, albeit short, football career, Wentz used his basketball roots to make a full-court press for one more position change.
“My last year at Old Dominion, I approached the head coach and said, I know you guys saw me as a defensive guy, but I’ve always wanted to play receiver. I think my skill set translates to it the best. That position, just being able to go high point a ball like it’s a rebound in basketball. Go dunk on somebody, basically. I approached him with that idea. He kinda threw me a bone – yeah, whatever, go have fun.”
Injuries pushed him into the lineup, and he caught his first pass, a 42-yard reception against South Alabama late in the year. A deep dig, a full circle moment from not knowing anything about the route tree a few years ago to making big plays on the field.
Eager to find a team ready to fully embrace his wide receiver switch, Wentz transferred to the FCS school, Albany. There, he truly learned and understood the position. His first touchdown came in 2023, and his breakout year came the following season: 40 receptions for 621 yards and one touchdown. He nearly scored twice, tracked down at the 1-yard line against West Virginia.
Wentz was still green to the position but felt ready to make the jump to college football’s highest level, transferring to the Power Five and joining Kansas. He hauled in only 16 passes but made them count with key scores against West Virginia, this time they wouldn’t catch him, and Cincinnati.
His Pro Day offered solid testing. A 4.59 40 on a 6023, 199 pound frame combined with a 34.5 inch vertical and 10’5″ broad. It wasn’t enough to get him drafted. Wentz went into the weekend without expectation, but he signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent. Waived in June, his time with the team was brief, but he learned valuable lessons that will carry him through the rest of his career.
“Obviously, they had the most success the previous season,” Wentz said, referring to Seattle’s Super Bowl win. “I went into a building with a really deep receiver room. Some real vets. Cooper Kupp; he’s going to probably be in the Hall of Fame. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the Offensive Player of the Year. That’s a wealth of knowledge in there. And I went in there just trying to soak up every moment…we’re in the building all the time, and I’m just taking everything in. I was able to learn how things work in the league compared to college and start the foundation of a process for myself.”
Even as lines blur between college and professional, Wentz sees a difference. College offers far more structure and 24/7 routine. The NFL has a schedule but offers plenty more downtime where the onus is on the player to put in the work and maximize his potential.
Signed by Pittsburgh earlier this month, Wentz arrived after spring practices concluded. But he knows the city, the team, and the opportunity. He’s anxious to get to work.
“I’m super fired up to be a part of it. A new era of Steeler football. I’m super fired up. A lot of great guys in the building. I’ve only spent a few days in the building so far. Obviously, everyone’s gone for break until camp. I’m just super fired up to be a part of this new era of Pittsburgh football, and try to make a name and a splash for myself in camp.”
Sticking with the team into the fall will be a challenge. Pittsburgh’s revamped its wide receiver room with five spots already possibly spoken for: DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr., Germie Bernard, Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek. Wentz will fight alongside Max Hurleman, A.T. Perry, and others for leftover summer snaps.
Wentz is willing to do all it takes to separate himself from the pack.
“I like to do the dirty work. The stuff that’s not gonna make this stat sheet. I’m real physical. I like to go put my hands on people. Whatever the team needs to be successful. If I can do it, then I’m gonna go do it. If that means catching a 50-yard touchdown, if that means making the block so we can spring the first-down run, I’m eager to do it.
“I just want to go out there and make whatever impact I can. If they want me to go out there and hand out waters to the guys, I’m gonna be the best in the country at it. I take a lot of pride in whatever it is that I’m doing. And I got a high motor. I’ll go until I drop. That’s the type of player I am.”
A work ethic he credits to his family and upbringing – the good and bad.
“I’ve been through a lot of things in life. Whenever I’m doing something hard, or there’s something that I necessarily don’t want to do, I just think, this is nothing compared to what I’ve been through. This has nothing on my hardest day. Kind of puts everything in the perspective of, if I’m sitting around, I’m bored, so might as well go work.”
Wentz’s path is unconventional even by undrafted free-agent standards. A childhood of foster care until he was adopted, one year of high school football, three different colleges, and even more position changes. In quiet moments, he reflects on that path.
“I got a lot of good people in my life who remind me of how far I’ve come. I can be hard on myself. Whenever I know that I got more to give or I’m not doing as good as I could, I can get hard on myself. But I got a lot of good people who remind me of how far I’ve come and the barriers I’ve had to overcome just to get to this position. I also try not to get complacent.
“To me, it’s great to be here, but I’m not done yet. I still got a lot more that I wanna do. I just want this to be another chapter in my story, and I’m super excited to keep it rolling.”