Kentucky quarterback named co-backup, enters transfer portal, per source

Kentucky quarterback Joey Gatewood has entered the transfer portal, per KSR’s Nick Roush. The news comes immediately after KSR’s report that Kentucky has settled on Penn State transfer Will Levis as the week one starter.

After losing the QB competition to Will Levis, Joey Gatewood has entered his name into the transfer portal.

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) August 15, 2021

Gatewood transferred to Kentucky in 2020 from Auburn and was ruled eligible on Sept. 30. He played in seven games and made one start in a loss to Georgia. The 6-foot-5, 221-pound quarterback has 163 career passing yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 238 yards with three touchdowns in his time at Auburn and Kentucky.

New starting quarterback Will Levis has played 15 career games at Penn State, completing 61-of-102 passes for 644 yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions. He is also a threat on the ground with 473 career rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Via his press conference, head coach Mark Stoops has named Gatewood a co-backup with Beau Allen and wants to continue evaluating the players before naming a backup. Gatewood will not practice with the team until he makes a decision on his future.

Joey Gatewood won’t practice with the team until he makes his decision as to whether to transfer

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) August 15, 2021

Success at Kentucky

Kentucky football has made big strides under Stoops in the last eight years. He has now taken the Wildcats to five straight bowl games and enters 2021 with three consecutive bowl wins from 2018-2020.

In 2020, the team started 2-4 against SEC opponents before winning three of the next five to finish 5-6 with a TaxSlayer Gator Bowl win over North Carolina State.

Stoops led Kentucky to fourth straight winning seasons before 2020’s 10-game SEC-only schedule, including a 10-win season in 2018.

2021 outlook

Phil Steele ranks Kentucky football No. 59 overall in his 2021 forecast and No. 3 in the SEC East. A tough SEC schedule that includes Florida, LSU and Georgia in three weeks makes this one of the toughest schedules in the country.

New offensive coordinator Liam Coen joins from the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, where he worked under Sean McVay. The 35-year-old coordinator served as an assistant wide receiver coach and assistant quarterback coach in the NFL after two seasons as the offensive coordinator at UMass from 2014-15.

The offense returns preseason All-American senior left tackle Darian Kinnard, the nation’s top run blocker according to Pro Football Focus. Leading rusher Chris Rodriguez returns to the backfield after 11 touchdowns last season.

Kentucky’s wide receiver core features fifth-year senior Josh Ali, who finished 2020 as the team’s leading receiver with 54 catches for 473 yards and a touchdown. The Wildcats also add Nebraska transfer Wan’Dale Robinson, who is one of the top newcomers in the conference. Junior tight end Keaton Upshaw returns after leading the team with three touchdown receptions last season beside fifth year senior Justin Rigg.