Liam Coen once advised former Kentucky QB Joey Gatewood to switch to tight end

Liam Coen never had the chance to coach former Kentucky quarterback Joey Gatewood, who transferred to UK from Auburn years ago as a four-star high school quarterback prospect, on the field when the two were in Lexington. However, it nearly happened before Gatewood elected to hit the transfer portal for a second time ahead of the 2021 season.

Coen arrived in Lexington as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator a couple of weeks before Kentucky beat NC State in the Gator Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021, to close out the 2020 season. At the time, Gatewood was still on the roster and remained with the team up until August 2021. But once Will Levis was tabbed as Kentucky’s starter for 2021, Gatewood put his name into the portal in search of another fresh start.

Gatewood ultimately landed at Central Florida for the 2021 season but played a very limited role for the Knights. Gatewood then jumped ship again, this time making his way to Kentucky’s in-state rival, the Louisville Cardinals.

After not playing in the 2022 season, the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder made the switch from quarterback to tight end in 2023 — a move that Coen actually suggested a couple of years ago.

“I talked to Joey before the game, it’s actually one of the last conversations I ever had with Joey Gatewood was saying ‘I think you’re a tight end’,” Coen said after Kentucky beat Gatewood and Louisville 38-31 on Saturday. “And he was great. I was stubborn at the time, he didn’t want to hear that at the moment. That was the last conversation we had. So, proud of Joey. Proud of what he’s accomplished and what he’s been able to do.”

Liam Coen and Joey Gatewood shared a laugh before the game.

Gatewood transferred after Coen named Will Levis QB1 in 2021. It was the first conversation the two have had since Coen told him, “I think you’re a tight end.”

The former QB caught a TD pass against his former team.

— Nick Roush (@RoushKSR) November 25, 2023

Gatewood has actually played well as a tight end at Louisville this season. The redshirt senior finished the year with nine catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those catches, 25 of those yards, and one of those touchdowns even came against his old team during the Governor’s Cup.

His first catch was an 11-yard touchdown reception that put Louisville ahead 24-14 late in the third quarter. Gatewood’s second catch was a 14-yard gain in the closing minute of regulation, but instead of going down right away to save some clock, he charged forward for an extra yard or two that cost the Cardinals valuable seconds on its final drive. Louisville would throw an interception in the endzone two plays later, handing Kentucky the 38-31 victory.

Louisville’s own Izayah Cummings steps up against Cards

While Gatewood was going up against his former team, Kentucky tight end Izayah Cummings was playing in the city that raised him. The senior tight end graduated from Louisville Male High School before arriving at UK as a freshman in 2020. He and Gatewood surely caught passes from each other during practice.

Cummings, who made the move from wide receiver to tight end ahead of the 2021 season, was presented with a prime opportunity on Saturday to show off his skills in front of his home city. With Kentucky missing a pair of tight ends (Josh Kattus and Jordan Dingle) against Louisville, Cummings saw an expanded role. Although he only finished with one reception, it came at a critical point in the game.

With Kentucky trailing 24-14 following Gatewood’s touchdown, Liam Coen responded by going to his own tight end. On the first of a two-play touchdown drive, a wide-open Cummings caught a Devin Leary pass and sprinted down the sideline for a 55-yard gain, tying the largest play from scrimmage the Louisville defense had allowed all season long.

On the very next play, Leary lobbed a perfect ball to Ray Davis that cut the Cardinals lead to just three. Later in the game, Cummings laid a timely block on a UL defender during UK’s go-ahead, 37-yard touchdown run from Davis that put the Wildcats in front for good. After the game was over, Coen applauded Cummings’ work ethic and ability to step up at a key juncture in the game.

“Izayah Cummings, to be able to step up to the plate, we had a lot more in the plan for him again this week. And all he’s done is be consistent,” Coen said postgame. “Izayah is just — there’s not a lot of guys that player harder than Izayah Cummings and for him to be able to do this in his hometown was pretty cool to see.”

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