Kaiya Sheron (UK Athletics Photo)
Okay Will Levis is now officially Kentucky’s starting quarterback, a position he earned with his strong arm, leadership and IQ less than a week into preseason practice after transferring from Penn State. Former Lexington Catholic standout Beau Allen, the player many UK fans hoped would be the starter, is now the No. 2 quarterback.
And Joey Gatewood, the former Auburn transfer who supposedly had looked great during spring practice and all summer, is now in the transfer portal after learning Sunday he would be third on the depth chart.
But what would happen if Kentucky needed a third quarterback? What if Levis and Allen both went down with injuries? What if both struggled once the season got underway?
Kentucky never can have enough quarterback depth. Remember two years ago when receiver Lynn Bowden had to play quarterback, and did it very well, or back in 2011 when receiver Matt Roark had to play quarterback and UK beat Tennessee?
Freshman Kaiya Sheron and sophomore Nik Scalzo are UK’s other two scholarship quarterbacks. Stoops said both had been “very good” in preseason practice and he was “encouraged” by that sense he had to know Gatewood likely would transfer when he dropped to No. 3 on the depth chart.
Sheron was a three-star recruit from Somerset and 21st ranked pro-style quarterback in his recruiting class. He threw for 3,218 yards and 28 touchdowns while running for 959 yards and nine scores his junior year when Somerset won the Class AA state title. As a senior, he threw for 2,016 yards and 15 scores while rushing for 465 yards and 10 scores.
This is Scalzo’s third season at UK but he’s yet to be able to play because of injuries. He led his Florida team to a 32-6 record in three years while completing 60 percent of his passes for 6,471 yards and 74 touchdowns. He also ran for 613 yards and four scores.
“It’s really good to see Nik out there stronger and healthier,” Stoops said. “This is the first time he’s been at full strength and able to do what he does.”
Stoops said in UK’s first scrimmage he blew a play dead when Scalzo broke out of the pocket under pressure and threw a “miraculous touchdown pass” by extending the play.
“That is him. He is a player. He makes plays,” Stoops said. “He is one of those guys that when the lights come on he is a good football player.”
Sheron graduated early to enroll at UK and obviously needs time to learn and grow as a quarterback.
“He is going to be a very good player,” Stoops said. “He has the prototypical size you are looking for. He does a lot of things well and this gives us an opportunity to work with him.”
