Cats Illustrated continues with an early preview of Kentucky's next quarterback competition with a closer look at Gunnar Hoak and both the pros and cons in terms of what might bring to the table as the Wildcats next starter.
We've already laid out the case for and against Drew Barker here.
With Barker as the elder statesman of the group, Terry Wilson the anticipated new comer and Danny Clark as the underdog, Gunnar Hoak might best be termed the dark horse.
The dark horse - Gunnar Hoak Â
Pros: Hoak has been in Kentucky's current offensive system for as long as the older Drew Barker, having been signed by the Wildcats' staff before the 2016 season when Darin Hinshaw and Eddie Gran made their debut as the program's co-coordinators. So, in theory, he should have a command of the offense and everything that would be asked of him. That would help mitigate the inexperience factor, which is also a reality, and would give the coaching staff some comfort as UK transitions to a new starter in the post-Stephen Johnson era.
Hoak has a combination of skills which, put together, would make him a player who could, it would seem, run Kentucky's entire playbook. He's more of a passer than a runner but has shown in limited exhibition settings that he's capable of rolling the pocket and at least threatening to move the chains with his legs. He is believed to be a capable thrower on the run and, dating back to his time as a high school recruit, was recognized as someone with quality arm talent and poise.
One of the reasons Hoak has something of an unofficial fan club or core group of support within the fan base is the way he has played in Kentucky's last two spring games. While that has not moved Hoak past Barker on the depth chart to date, it could be that Hoak is the kind of quarterback who elevates his game in live action. And that's something no one will know until he gets the chance.
If Hoak were to win the starting job, he's a quarterback Kentucky could build with for the foreseeable future. He will be a redshirt sophomore with an extra semester, so there's the experience in the program, but he also has three years of eligibility remaining.
Cons: There is the unavoidable fact that, at least in the minds of the coaching staff, Hoak has not yet passed Barker on the depth chart and that probably says something about where the decision-makers heads are at. The coaches have said nice things about Hoak all along, but if you're handicapping any race that involves Hoak and Barker, to say nothing of Wilson, that's something you have to grapple with. What has he not yet proved in practice settings that might be keeping him from moving up a line on that depth chart?
Hoak is something of a jack of all trades as a quarterback with, it is presumed, a capable arm and capable legs. But he has not been regarded as someone who is elite in any particular category. One might say the same thing about Barker and what he has proven to date, but the staff is obviously enamored with Barker's throwing potential.
It has been said, most recently by Stoops on Wednesday after Wilson's signing, sandwiched between comments praising Hoak, that he isn't the most vocal player. He wouldn't be the first starting SEC quarterback who's on the quiet side and Stoops has also said that Hoak can communicate what needs to be communicated. But it has come up in coach conversation more than once and that's for a reason.
Early prediction: Hoak might be best labeled the race's "dark horse" rather than an underdog because it's within the realm of truly plausible outcomes that he could be named the starter for the reasons outlined above. Time in the program, a varied skill set and the potential for building longer-term are clear positives. But he has to overcome the fact that, to date, he has been third string. The person who was second string returns, and there now arrives a player who brings a different skill set altogether, more in line with what Stephen Johnson could do but perhaps more explosive in some respects.
For that reason it would probably be a minor surprise on some level if Hoak were to win the starting position in 2018. But it shouldn't be written off. Don't scoff and don't be surprised if you hear the coaches talking a lot about him this offseason.
It's also worth noting, to bolster the case that Hoak as starter is a credible possibility, that both of his main competitors (and certainly Clark, too) either have deficiencies or are, at the least, unproven in key respects.
