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The UCF Knights’ quarterback room is growing by one. According to Brandon Marcello of 247 Sports, former Auburn Tigers and Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Joey Gatewood is transferring to UCF.
Breaking: Quarterback Joey Gatewood has picked #UCF as his transfer destination, a person familiar with the decision tells @247Sports.
— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) August 19, 2021
Story: https://t.co/dtufZYt2aE pic.twitter.com/QnI0t0XVp9
Gatewood is a big kid at 6-5 and 221 pounds. He’s originally from the Sunshine State, having played his high school ball at Bartram Trail in Jacksonville, where he was a four-star recruit and Elite 11 finalist. He was also named to the Under Armour All-American Game.
Gatewood played last season at Kentucky, starting in one game against the Georgia Bulldogs. He was the primary backup to Terry Wilson Jr. and appeared in six games.
Before joining Kentucky, Gatewood played two seasons at Auburn under head coach Gus Malzahn.
In his best game at Auburn, Gatewood ran 12 times for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns against Kent State.
With Dillon Gabriel as the clear-cut starter for the Knights this season, perhaps Malzahn could find a role for Gatewood as a runner, considering the team has recently been dealt two major blows in the running back room. But that assumes Gatewood would be eligible this season, and it’s not clear he would be, given how he’s already transferred once.
However, he could make for a very interesting competitor at QB for 2022, if Dillon Gabriel decides to leave UCF for the NFL.
Black & Gold Banneret will continue to update this story as it develops.