Beau Allen (UK Athletics Photo)
Don’t expect new Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Coen to name a No. 1 quarterback when spring practice ends.
“I am looking for guys to improve and for growth in the offense,” Coen said. “We are not going to name a starting quarterback after spring practice. We have (Penn State transfer) Will Levis coming in to compete this summer. The spring will be more of information gathering rather than evaluation.”
Head coach Mark Stoops said everything is new from terminology to formations to getting under center to different cadences.
“The nice thing with the way our schedule is, it’s taxing on our players and our coaches, but we go for five weeks, so we have a long time. We can take our time, have quality meetings in between our practices and use our time wisely,” Stoops said. “I challenged our team and our players. We really have to be dialed in and be more skilled overall.
“The scheme is fancy for media, for our team, for our players and everything, but it’s still a fundamental game and that’s what you can’t get away from. Obviously, there is so much big-picture things to get in and to get done and to install, but you also fundamentally always got to get better every time you take the field. There’s a lot to do but it’s an exciting time.”
Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen are expected to be the two contenders with Levis for the starting spot but Nik Scalzo and true freshman Kaiya Sheron will also be participating in spring practice.
“We have not had a ton of time with the guys since I got here to get things installed (on offense). We are still learning about systems and the core principles,” Coen said. “Right now I am just trying to help the quarterbacks get better and try to improve their fundamentals.
“Just trying to give the quarterbacks some coaching and learn what makes these guys tick, what is underneath the hood. How do I connect with these kids? When it comes to on-field throwing, how does he take coaching, and what is the best way to get through to each player?
“All the guys are going to have a chance to compete. Beau and Joey have each played a few snaps but not really enough to judge anything off of.”
What about Levis? What did Coen like so much about him that he recruited him when he announced he was leaving Penn State?
“The first thing that sticks out is his intelligence. He is graduating from Penn State with a finance degree in three years,” Coen said. “You always like your quarterback to be smart.
“There is some untapped potential there with things he can do throwing and physically running the ball. He is a weapon that can come in and run the football, too. He wants to be a full-time guy and wants a chance to show he can be that guy.”
