UK has navigated a quirky quarterback situation this year. What might 2020 look like?
Kentucky’s short-term prognosis at quarterback more or less is what it is: Lynn Bowden or bust.
Sawyer Smith might be able-bodied enough to throw himself forward on a keeper (that play’s been by far UK’s best in short-yardage situations this season), and perhaps the health of his arm has progressed to the point that, if desired or deemed necessary, the staff would put him under center for a longer period of time — he looked healthy enough in mop-up duty at Vanderbilt, for what it’s worth.
Based on the evidence we’ve been presented, though, there’s an unwillingness to return Smith to the starting role outside of an injury to Bowden. The junior wide receiver has played more than well enough in an impromptu quarterback role, and this weekend should lead the Cats to bowl-eligibility for the fourth straight season. He almost certainly won’t be around next year to do the same, however, with an NFL payday likely coming Bowden’s way in April.
Forget the rest of this year — what does UK’s quarterback situation look like in 2020?
The incumbent
Terry Wilson, before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Wildcats’ second game this year, looked on track to build on a solid debut in 2018. In six quarters he’d completed nearly 64 percent of his passes after connecting on 67.2 percent of them as a sophomore (the third-best single season in program history), and looked on track for a much higher amount of attempts.
Wilson is 12-3 as UK’s starting quarterback and, if able to make a full return to the field, is the no-brainer to start next season. Unfortunately his specific injury, a patellar tendon tear, is tricky; under Stoops one former Wildcat, Darius West, faced the same injury and remained a major contributor upon returning, but research on NFL players has shown it to be one of the most career-threatening setbacks an individual can suffer.
Stoops said last week that he hasn’t thought far ahead enough to know whether Wilson will be available by spring practice. He’s off crutches and traveled with the team to Vanderbilt. It’ll be a great sign that, if like West, Wilson can practice on a limited basis in December (assuming UK makes a bowl). It’s possible UK will take a conservative approach with Wilson, too, because of the potential impact he can make on the offense. His absence has only made his value as a signal caller rise; you don’t know what you have till it’s gone.
The backup
Smith could enter spring camp as Kentucky’s best available quarterback after having been dealt a tough hand in his first few months as a Wildcat.
He’s more than proved his mettle as a backup quarterback in terms of being a team guy. Despite purportedly being healthy enough to start for at least a couple weeks, Smith has been content taking a backseat to Bowden while nursing a banged-up shoulder and wrist.
As far as an on-field player, goes, we only have about three quarters’ worth of proof of what a fully-healthy Smith can do. That player looked like the best passer on the team, and perhaps one that could challenge Wilson for the starting job with an impressive finish to 2019 and a leg-up in the spring, if it plays out that way.
The redshirts
Amani Gilmore and Nik Scalzo, both three-star prospects, signed as part of the 2019 recruiting class and will both take redshirts after this year to retain up to four seasons of eligibility. Given that in addition to the nature of quarterback transfers in the 21st century, it’d be astonishing if they both finish their careers as UK football players.
Gilmore has yet to see the field but has made significant progress in his development over the last month, according to quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw and receivers coach Michael Smith, who recruited him. It’s possible that he could debut against Tennessee Martin if the game gets away from the Skyhawks swiftly.
Scalzo during fall camp suffered a season-ending tear of the same ACL he tore last November in his final high school season. The latest setback potentially cost him the opportunity to show what he can do in game action; in retrospect, Scalzo was probably the No. 3 quarterback in the room and would have at least been considered over Bowden once it became clear Smith needed time to heal.
The freshman
There’s a chance that Beau Allen — a soon-to-be Lexington Catholic graduate who plans to enroll at UK in January — will enter the spring as Kentucky’s No. 2 quarterback.
That’s in part a byproduct of the injuries to Scalzo and Wilson, but Allen is no slouch. The four-star prospect has long been a target of Kentucky’s staff and will press for playing time sooner than later, though next year is probably way too soon. Pile up your stock now and get ready for some dividends in 2021.
Allen’s senior year ended last Friday at rival Boyle County, the prohibitive favorite to win the KHSAA’s Class 4A championship. As a senior he finished 248 of 366 — both career-high marks — for 3,682 yards, 38 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also led Lexington Catholic with 478 rushing yards and 12 TDs.
Allen finished with 11,439 career passing yards and 127 TD passes, both of which would be good for fifth all-time in KHSAA history (Former Kentucky star Tim Couch is tied for second with 133 TD passes and ranks No. 4 all-time in passing yardage). Allen’s 757 career completions would be good for seventh all-time in KHSAA history. His career completion percentage — 64.8 percent on 1,169 total attempts — lands just outside of the top 10, historically.
The forgotten
Walker Wood in a rout of Vanderbilt finally got to make his UK debut but the former Lafayette standout, based on the Cats’ non-deployment of him in a season where quarterback depth has been pushed to the brink, does not appear to be a legitimate option moving forward.
Wood works his behind off — he’s often among, if not the last, to leave the practice field — but multiple injury setbacks contributed to the former three-star prospect getting pushed out of the picture. Locals who watched him light up high school defenders have been vocal in their criticism this year of the staff, which until Saturday had only showed their respect for Wood in the form of lip service.
Wood, academically, is a sophomore and could find himself with some options at the end of 2019: Does he remain a Wildcat or try to find another home in college football? He seems to thoroughly enjoy the experience of being a UK quarterback — and a home-grown one, at that — but if playing time is top of mind, it’s tough to see a path to it in Lexington.
The transfer
It might be someone we know — Joey Gatewood? — or an unknown who’s yet to announce that he’ll depart for greener pastures, but UK as of late has been no stranger to quarterback transfers.
In fact, before Bowden took over as its starting quarterback, transfers had started 41 straight games for UK: junior-college transfer Stephen Johnson started nine of 10 games after replacing an injured Drew Barker during a Kentucky win over New Mexico State in 2016, then started all 13 games of the 2017 season (Luke Wright, a transfer from Cincinnati, started for an injured Johnson once in 2016); Wilson, another junior-college product, started every game in last year’s 10-3 campaign and the Cats’ first two games this season; and Smith, a graduate transfer from Troy, made three straight starts before Bowden took over against Arkansas in October.
Gatewood, who last month announced plans to transfer from Auburn, visited Kentucky during the weekend of the Tennessee game. The Wildcats are considered a favorite in the former four-star prospect’s latest recruitment.
If this year is any indicator, a team can never have too many quarterbacks to pick from. Gatewood would not be eligible to play until 2021 without being granted a waiver by the NCAA, which has been all over the place in its application thereof so it’s entirely possible that he could compete immediately for the starting job if he were to come to Lexington.
Next game
Tennessee Martin at Kentucky
3:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC)
This story was originally published November 19, 2019 at 7:23 AM.
