Mark Stoops explains why Will Levis was the 'Clear Choice' as Kentucky's Starting Quarterback

Kentucky’s quarterback competition came to a conclusion earlier than expected when Mark Stoops announced Sunday night that Will Levis will be the Wildcats’ game one starter. Throughout his nine-year tenure, Stoops usually gives the quarterbacks more time to battle in the preseason. This year Levis was a cut above Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen.

“They all have done some really good things throughout camp, but this was clear,” Stoops said in an impromptu Sunday night press conference.

After the first scrimmage Levis was at the top of the depth chart, with Gatewood and Allen tied for second. Stoops informed the three together, then spoke with Gatewood individually, who shared that he’s ready to look for a starting spot elsewhere by entering his name into the transfer portal.

“We were ready. It was the right time,” Stoops said. “I also wanted to, if I knew this was the decision we were going to make, I wanted to give people like Joey the opportunity to transfer and go somewhere. If you wait another week, he’s trapped here. I thought it was the right decision to let him know where we stand and he appreciated that.”

“It’s not a personal decision,” he added. “They’re all three great young men that have done everything we asked them to do. We just simply made the best decision for our football team to win games.”

Will Levis Quick to Impress

Gatewood and Allen had a 15-practice head start with Liam Coen. A graduate transfer from Penn State, Levis had to wait until after he finished his spring semester to officially become a Wildcat. Once he got to Lexington, it took no time to prove that he’s the man for the job.

“The operation is very smooth for a guy who hasn’t been there that long,” Stoops said.

“He’s been extremely efficient at running the offense. He’s been at the grade-able reps 74%. His first throw in the stadium was a 65-yard touchdown strike for his first live play in the stadium. He has a lot of talent. He’s been doing some really good things. He’s been very efficient. He’s got unbelievable arm strength. He’s a big, strong guy. He won the job.”

Stoops and Coen wanted to give all three a chance to make plays in at least one scrimmage. Levis used that opportunity to stand above the rest of the pack. Now instead of splitting reps between three, Levis will get all of the first team reps, which should benefit the offense in the long term.

“It’s important to build that continuity with the offensive players and with the receivers and tight ends, running backs and so on. I’ve mentioned before, I would never be pressed into that situation. You want to make the right decision first and foremost over rushing it, but once we came to that conclusion, we felt there was no reason to delay this decision.”

Beau Allen’s Improvement

Gatewood’s decision to depart may have as much to do with Allen as it does Levis. Impressive in the UK fan day open practice, the Lexington native proved to the coaches in the first week of training camp that he can be a reliable passer for the Wildcats. Initially listed as “or” alongside Gatewood, Stoops was not going to hand the upperclassman the role of primary backup just because he was older. Allen earned it.

“Each young man still deserves the proper opportunity and he’s earned that right to get a lot of reps with the twos,” Stoops said.

“He’s very steadfast in everything he does and that’s one of the great qualities that Beau has. He’s very steady. He does not ever get too high. He does not ever get too low. For him it was very business-like, just like always. He’s worked hard and that was part of it as well with reps and how I listed it with Beau, because if I listed Joey second and Beau third, in my opinion that was not fair to Beau. Beau’s done a very good job.”