Kentucky’s Quarterback Competition Has a New Addition

PSU Athletics

Beau Allen or Joey Gatewood? That was the original question entering winter workouts. Now, there are three quarterbacks that will compete to be the Cats’ top signal caller in 2021. Former Penn State QB Will Levis announced on Friday that he has committed to Kentucky. He’s scheduled to graduate at the end of this semester and be a grad-transfer with three years of eligibility remaining. Although rumored for quite some time, this roster move is a bit surprising. 

Levis started two games over the past two seasons at Penn State. He completed 61 out of 102 passes for 644 yards and 3 touchdowns compared to 2 interceptions. Levis was a backup to Sean Clifford and Penn State’s designated running quarterback. His best collegiate performance came against Nebraska when he threw for 219 yards while running for 61 in a loss to the Huskers. Levis signed with Penn State over offers from Syracuse, Florida State, Cincinnati, and several Ivy League schools. 

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN? 

Great question. Again, “Beau Allen or Joey Gatewood?” was the primary question going into the 2021 season. Now, Will Levis enters the race. However, he will be behind the other two options after missing winter workouts and spring practice. This roster move is interesting. In most cases, transfer quarterbacks are brought in to start, not sit. The assumption was that either Allen or Gatewood would be the guy. Now, Kentucky’s quarterback situation becomes blurrier. 

Beau Allen is the hometown kid that hails from a long history with Kentucky Football. The son of a former Wildcat QB, Allen was presumed to be the future of the program. Joey Gatewood transferred from Auburn. His high school recruiting profile was as impressive as any player that has ever signed with Kentucky. Gatewood was ranked as the nation’s 49th ranked player and top ATH in the nation as per 247 Sports composite ranking system. Allen vs. Gatewood is no more. Now it’s Allen vs. Gatewood vs. Levis. 

Modern day quarterbacks are built to transfer. That’s the game in 2021. That’s where we are. It’s not out of the realm of possibility that just one or two of these three will finish their career in Lexington. Like in most transfer situations, the newcomer needs be as good as advertised to upset the apple cart with this late addition to the roster. 2019 was a classic example of a team can never have enough quality quarterbacks on its depth chart. Receiver Lynn Bowden had to settle in under center and led the Wildcats to an 8-5 season and a Belk Bowl victory. But the Bowden season goes against analytics. He was that special. 

Beau Allen and Joey Gatewood will have the advantage of participating in winter workouts, system install, and spring practice. That alone will put Levis behind the two. Is he talented enough to make a move in a shortened time during fall camp? We’ll see. A quick look at his offer sheet that included Ivy League programs shows that he is a highly intelligent football player. His play at Penn State displayed upper-level athletic tendencies which were on display during his appearances as PSU’s designated running QB. Practice film and high school tape paints the picture of a quarterback with an extremely strong arm. Can he put it all together? Again, we’ll see. He will have an opportunity in Lexington. Remember, generally transfer quarterbacks are brought in to play, not sit. 

Judging Allen and Gatewood based on the 2020 season is a null and void proposition. UK’s offensive system was not exactly quarterback friendly. Allen was a true freshman. Gatewood was a transfer. Neither supplanted Terry Wilson as the starter. Again, we can’t judge the duo based on last season. I’m not sure that Mac Jones could have boosted the Wildcats’ passing attack a year ago. Kentucky’s passing woes have been a consistent liability. The Wildcats averaged 131 passing yards per game over the course of the last three seasons. 

Some say Beau Allen has the upper hand. Others say Joey Gatewood. Now, there are folks saying that Will Levis will be Kentucky’s starting quarterback in 2021. Teams can never have enough quality at the quarterback position. We’ll see.