The NCAA didn’t give Joey Gatewood a free ride to eligibility. What happens now?
When the NCAA Division I Council decided last week that it would address the immediate eligibility of first-time transfers via a legislative change to its rules rather than an amendment of its current waiver guidelines, it put a potato in the pipe dream that Joey Gatewood would gain immediate eligibility at the University of Kentucky without having to lift a finger.
Instead Gatewood, a former four-star recruit who spent the past two seasons at Auburn before enrolling at UK in January, will have to earn a waiver through an application to the NCAA if he hopes to play this fall. That process had already begun in the spring, according to the coaching staff, but now takes on greater importance given the NCAA’s decision to not make any sweeping changes until January.
A problem with the current waiver process is its unpredictability, both in terms of potential rulings and timing. In the last year alone the NCAA granted former Ohio State quarterback Tate Martell immediate eligibility at Miami, but did not grant it to Brock Hoffman, an offensive lineman who left Coastal Carolina for Virginia Tech. Martell’s move seemingly was predicated mostly on the fact that Ohio State bringing in a new quarterback (Justin Fields, who also had a waiver approved) affected his well-being; Hoffman’s case was denied despite it centering around fact that he wanted to be closer to his mother, who was still dealing with the effects of a brain tumor she had removed.
As for timing, one need only go back to last September, when UK awaited a ruling one way or the other on Xavier Peters, a high-profile transfer from Florida State who enrolled at UK prior to the 2019 season, to see how drawn out it can be. He was granted immediate eligibility, but not until a few days before the Wildcats’ third game of the season. Meanwhile, former UK basketball player Johnny Juzang — who announced his transfer in April — on Wednesday was granted immediate eligibility at UCLA, his destination school. If you’re looking for consistency, you’ve come to the wrong place.
Whether Gatewood has a short or long road ahead of him is anyone’s guess, but whichever way the ruling goes will have a profound impact on Kentucky’s 2020 season. Let’s break those scenarios down.
If Gatewood is ineligible
Hope for the best but assume the worst, right?
Gatewood having to sit in 2020 would be a blow to Kentucky’s depth at quarterback — a spot it struggled with through the first half of last year after losing incumbent starter Terry Wilson in the seventh quarter of the season — but would afford him a fall’s worth of work on the scout team and enable UK’s coaches to groom him as a “starter-in-waiting” come 2021.
For the sake of simplicity, we’ll assume the starting job is again Wilson’s to lose. As long as he’s deemed 100-percent healthy — and all indications have been that he’s on the right track — then there’s no reason to think otherwise. Fellow senior Sawyer Smith, who backed up Wilson before succumbing to injuries himself in 2019, should be a lock at QB-2 behind him.
With Gatewood sidelined, true freshman Beau Allen jumps out as the most capable No. 3 on the depth chart. Redshirt freshman Nik Scalzo should be available, too, but during the spring was still recovering from his second knee injury in a year, limiting his live reps. Him being able to play to his fullest ability would be a boon for UK if Gatewood isn’t eligible; Scalzo was on track to be the No. 3 quarterback as a true freshman last year. For now Allen — whom coaches have said might have played last year if he’d been on the roster — should be the “break-in-case-of-emergency” guy.
In case you missed it, redshirt freshman Amani Gilmore transferred to North Texas. Walker Wood this offseason announced his transfer to McNeese State. Without Gatewood, UK would have four playable scholarship quarterbacks, as many as it had before the 2019 season kicked off. If either Scalzo or Wilson can’t go, it’d have one less, and no heir-apparent to Lynn Bowden on the roster who could bail it out if faced with a similar bind to last year.
Gatewood’s eligibility makes a big difference between fending off and inviting that nightmare.
If Gatewood is eligible
Let’s end on a high note: Gatewood is cleared to play right away by the NCAA, giving Kentucky much more stability at the quarterback spot and a feather in the cap of advocates for student-athlete rights.
The honeymoon might be short, though. Inevitably, at least a small number of fans would demand for Gatewood to get playing time over Wilson the minute he fumbles in a crucial moment or the first time he fails to throw for 200 yards (a feat he’s achieved four times in 15 games as a Wildcat). Everyone seems to love quarterback controversies, and the fastest way to UK having one would be a lackluster start from Wilson while a highly touted transfer waits on the bench — Wilson’s 12-3 record as a starter be damned!
Smith took first-team reps in the spring and probably will be listed as the No. 2 quarterback headed into the fall regardless of Gatewood’s status, but Gatewood has years ahead of him at UK while Smith has mere months. The staff can be trusted to do what it thinks is best for the team to win — see: Bowden at quarterback last season — but it also needs to prepare accordingly for the future. If Wilson is succeeded, Smith should get the first call, but Gatewood’s number will be on speed dial if he’s allowed to play. The same might also apply to Allen.
Gatewood’s long-term development (and that of any player, really) could be improved by a year learning the ins and outs of the offense from (somewhat) afar, but the peace of mind and raw talent gained in the short term makes the trade-off a no-brainer, even with the possible wrinkle of controversy that could come with it. It (shouldn’t) make or break UK’s season, but the team’s outlook is better with Gatewood in uniform this fall.
For now? We wait.
