Mark Stoops addresses his confidence in Kentucky's backup quarterbacks

With Will Levis‘ status up in the air less than 48 hours before No. 13 Kentucky hosts South Carolina after news broke Wednesday night that a leg/ankle injury has been nagging the star quarterback.

Enter Kaiya Sheron and Deuce Hogan.

Sheron, a Kentucky-native and redshirt freshman, is listed as the team’s second-string QB and would be the presumptive starter is Levis were to be unable to play. Starring in his role at Somerset High School just south of Lexington, Sheron threw for 7,080 yards and rushed for 3,353 more in his four-year high school career.

That stellar high school career ended at Kroger Field, leading Somerset to its first-ever KHSAA State Championship in 2019. Sheron threw a miraculous game-winning 20-yard touchdown pass as time expired in regulation to end his high school career.

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Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops didn’t point to either quarterback in particular when talking about his confidence in his backups, but wants live reps to find out which one needs to be on the field if Levis cannot.

“I feel good. You never know until you get into a game, until they’re pressed into that situation,” Stoops said Thursday. “I think you can say that about a lot of players, but I think it’s very real for quarterbacks with all they have to do.

“You may see someone who looks just absolutely gorgeous in seven-on-seven, or just throwing on air and things. Then when all the moving pieces happen, I think that’s when you get a true indicator on what you have.”

That’s just the problem – neither of Kentucky’s backup quarterbacks have experience at the collegiate level, let alone against a SEC opponent.

For Hogan, he joined the program in the offseason after transferring from Iowa. A reserve quarterback for the Hawkeyes, he spent his first two college seasons backing up Spencer Petras and Alex Padilla, and is a walk-on for the Wildcats. Even more impressive than Sheron, Hogan led high school team to a state title as a freshman and threw for 8,192 yards and 100 touchdowns in his prep career.

Whoever ends up starting for Kentucky against South Carolina this Saturday – whether it be Levis, Sheron or Hogan – Stoops has the confidence that all three have the ability to lead Kentucky to a victory against the Gamecocks if given the chance.