Kentucky’s former starting QB offers glimpse into current Wildcats quarterback battle
Former University of Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson is the front-runner for the starting job at New Mexico, but it won’t be handed to him, according to head coach Danny Gonzales.
Wilson ended up at New Mexico in part due to a connection with its second-year offensive coordinator, Derek Warehime; he’s the son of Nick Warehime, who coached Wilson in high school. The most experienced and winningest quarterback on the Lobos’ roster welcomes an open competition.
“I’ve been in college for six years and I’ve been in a lot of quarterback competitions. It’s pretty fun,” Wilson told the Albuquerque Journal. “At the quarterback spot, you gotta bring it everyday. It’s not given to you, so you gotta bring it. You gotta bring that juice and know that you’re fighting for the job.”
Wilson was UK’s starter at the beginning of the last three seasons, compiling a 17-8 record and finishing his career as the most successful quarterback of UK head coach Mark Stoops’ tenure. In a recent interview with the Herald-Leader, Wilson offered his insight into three of the quarterbacks vying for Kentucky’s open job this fall (he did not play with the other two, Penn State transfer Will Levis and true freshman Kaiya Sheron).
On Joey Gatewood: “I got to spend some time with Joey a lot. Joey, he’s a guy that once he’s on the field, and he gets going, I mean, it’s really hard to stop him. He works hard.”
On Beau Allen: ”Same with Beau. He’s done an incredible job. Beau lives in the film room. He’s a smart dude. He cares about how he approaches the field. He cares about the team and cares about guys.”
On Nik Scalzo: ”Same for Nik. Nik’s been battling the injury with his knee. He’s been dealing with rehab and he’s gotten healthy. I know he’s hungry to get out there for fall camp and just to have fun and get back on the field, because I know how that feels when you’re out.”
“I know all three of those guys are really excited to be out there competing for the job,” Wilson said. “I know they all want it. I’m excited to watch and see how that goes. I’m definitely rooting for all three of them.”
