Mark Stoops thought it was only fair to confirm decision that Will Levis would be starting quarterback

Will Levis (UK Athletics Photo)

Once the word leaked, Mark Stoops knew there was no reason to delay going public with his decision to name Penn State transfer Will Levis the starting quarterback over Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen.

“We knew where this was going. I thought it was the fair thing to do to let the players know. If I waited one more week, they’d be trapped here,” the Kentucky coach said Sunday night on a quickly called Zoom conference with over 40 media members.

The news was not a surprise. Kentucky recruited Levis after new offensive coordinator Liam Coen was hired even though Allen and Gatewood were already on the roster. Levis certainly had been trending as the pick to be the starter even though he was not here for spring practice and UK has only been in preseason camp for a week. Yet Stoops seemed very comfortable Sunday with his decision to make Levis the No. 1 quarterback going into the season.

He was not shocked that Gatewood, who transferred to UK from Auburn after losing that quarterback competition, immediately opted to put his name into the transfer portal after Stoops broke the news to the three quarterbacks.

Stoops said Levis had a “lot of things” to like including how efficient he had been at running the offense. His first throw in Saturday’s scrimmage went for a 75-yard touchdown to Wan’Dale Robinson.

“He has a lot of talent. He has been doing some things very good. He has unbelievable arm strength. He’s a big, strong guy and he won the job,” Stoops said.

The hints were everywhere. Levis drew high praise from UK associate coach Vince Marrow last week after two days of practice when Marrow made it clear he was his choice as the No. 1 quarterback. Levis was on Kentucky Sports Radio during Media Day — something that certainly indicated he was already No. 1 with the coaching staff.

Still, Stoops knew he had to wait until he saw at least one scrimmage with Levis to confirm the decision and he saw more than enough Saturday to know the time was right to make Levis the opening-game starter.

“We saw talent and saw some good things. We wanted to give all three guys an opportunity. All three did some really good things but this was clear,” Stoops said Sunday.

The UK coach did admit the staff had a “pretty good idea” what Levis was capable of when he was recruited.

“In that way, it was not a surprise (that Levis won the job). He’s a hard worker and unbelievably talented,” Stoops said.

Naming Levis the starter also means he can get the abundance of reps going into the first game September 4 and Stoops did admit it was important to build “continuity” with the offense.

“But I will never be pressed into that situation (to name a starting quarterback) and want to make the right decision over rushing it,” Stoops said. “But once I came to the conclusion (Levis would start), I felt there was no reason to delay that decision.”