Joey Gatewood Receives Immediate Eligibility at UCF

A year ago Kentucky fans played the long waiting game to see if Joey Gatewood would be eligible to play for the Wildcats, only receiving the all clear after the first week of the season. Now back with his old Auburn head coach, Gus Malzahn, Gatewood has received the green light to play for UCF in the fall of 2021.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the former UK quarterback will be eligible to play for the Knights this fall. Few initially anticipated that Gatewood could receive a waiver to play right away, just a year after he went through the process when transferring from Auburn to Kentucky. His hometown of Jacksonville is just two hours away from Orlando.

Will Gatewood Play?

Gatewood will be able to play this fall for Malzahn, but how many snaps he will take remains a mystery. Like Bo Nix and Terry Wilson before him, UCF already has a QB1. Dillon Gabriel was the nation’s top-ranked passer in 2020, throwing for 357 yards per game. Gatewood will not be taking Gabriel’s starting role, but Malzahn may still utilize Gatewood’s rushing skills from time to time.

“He’s a guy that’s extremely talented and can provide value to our team,” Malzahn said earlier this week.

Gatewood is entering his fourth collegiate football season, but he has only started in one career game, a 14-3 Kentucky loss to Georgia. He’s played in 13 games since his redshirt freshman season at Auburn. In his career he’s completed 53.4% of his passes for 163 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He’s also rushed for 238 yards and three scores.

Gatewood could have up to three years of eligibility remaining if he uses the NCAA’s COVID-19 waiver. The ruling also means that Gatewood will be on the sideline at Cardinal Stadium Sept. 17 when Louisville hosts UCF.