Former Auburn quarterback Joey Gatewood announced Thursday night that he'll be continuing his career at Kentucky, providing another boost for the program's outlook under Mark Stoops.
According to 247Sports, Gatewood was at Kroger Field for the Wildcats' romp of Louisville in the Governor's Cup rivalry, and it was his second visit to Lexington of the month. Gatewood was a top-50 prospect coming out of high school and showed during limited action at Auburn his potential as a dynamic dual-threat quarterback. He will have to sit out the 2020 season because of transfer rules, but when he returns to action in 2021, he will still have two years of eligibility remaining.
Gatewood announced his decision on Twitter:
I’ll be transferring to the University of Kentucky. #Wildcats pic.twitter.com/4oYzRl8WoN
— Joey Gatewood (@Joey1gatewood) December 5, 2019
Gatewood left Auburn in October after starting the year as a backup and change-of-pace quarterback for true freshman Bo Nix. His stats while he was on the team in 2018 included just 5-of-7 passing for 54 yards and two touchdowns with 29 rushes for 148 yards and three touchdowns. Gatewood left with no bad blood, as Gus Malzahn wished him well and noted that he wanted to go somewhere where he could be a starting quarterback.
Kentucky is expected to get both Terry Wilson and Sawyer Smith back next year, with Gatewood joining the picture the following season. After being left asking all-purpose everything Lynn Bowden to move from wide receiver to quarterback because of depth issues in 2019, the position suddenly looks very stable for the future. That, plus Stoops' commitment to the future in Lexington when he was targeted by Florida State as a potential candidate, has given Kentucky football fans plenty to cheer about here in the early parts of the 2019-20 offseason.
