Transfer Tracker: Gatewood commits to UCF
Mark Pszonak contributed to this report.
The transfer portal never stops grinding. After losing the starting job at Kentucky and deciding to transfer, quarterback Joey Gatewood has chosen to follow his ex-Auburn coach Gus Malzahn to UCF.
Recruiting: Gatewood avoided drama by committing to Auburn at the conclusion of his sophomore season. Despite adding additional offers from many elite programs, he stuck with the Tigers.
At Auburn & Kentucky: In two seasons with the Tigers Gatewood passed for 54 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns. After his transfer to Kentucky he passed for 109 yards and rushed for 62 yards during the 2020 season.
Farrell’s Take: This is the second time around to evaluate Gatewood in the transfer portal and it doesn't get better with each time. He's always been a big kid with athleticism but he hasn't developed the passing skills for the Power Five level and it's hard to imagine he'll lead the UCF team down the line. A position change perhaps?
Impact Meter: 4.3 out of 10
IMPACT METER
The Transfer Portal continues to change the way college football programs recruit and manage their rosters so we here at Rivals.com continue to evolve our coverage. Each time a player of note enters the portal, we will examine their potential impact on the college football landscape and assign an impact rating, both when they enter the portal and when they choose a destination. The scale is from 1-10 and the description below explains the scoring scale.
1.1-4.0 — Not a big impact expected, likely a non-starter and down the bench depth player.
4.1- 6.0 — A solid impact can be expected in the right scenario and has the potential to battle for a starting job.
6.1-9.0. — A high impact player who won’t change a program but will certainly be a very good contributor and starter.
9.1- 9.9 — A very high impact player who should start the moment he steps on the field and will change the outlook of a program immediately.
10 — A franchise transfer who has a chance to be an All American and one of the elite players in college football.