The suspense surrounding the Wildcats' quarterback job has ended early in camp.

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops announced Sunday night that Will Levis will be the Cats' starting quarterback when the season begins on Sept. 4 against Louisiana-Monroe.

Word had started to spread from a team meeting that Levis, a junior who joined the UK program this summer as a graduate transfer from Penn State, won the job over sophomores Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen.

The Cats had just completed their first major scrimmage of camp on Saturday at Kroger Field. Although they have three more weeks of practice remaining before the opener, the staff believes Levis has shown enough to be the man.

"Unbelievable arm strength," Stoops said of Levis during an impromptu Zoom meeting Sunday night to discuss the situation with the media.

"His first throw in the stadium was a 65-yard touchdown strike off his first live play in the stadium. He has a lot of talent."

In addition to the arm strength that "anyone can see," Stoops said, Levis also has a "presence" that convinced the staff he was the right man to lead a talented UK team this season.

The UK boss said all three of the main quarterbacks involved in the competition for the starting job had shown good things at times in camp "but this was clear." He added that Levis graded out at 74% on his reps in camp.

Upon meeting with the coaches on Sunday, Gatewood, a former Elite 11 quarterback who transferred from Auburn to UK last season, told Stoops that he intends to enter the transfer portal. He will not resume practice with the Cats until his final decision is made, meaning Allen will be the No. 2 quarterback entering this week's practice at the Joe Craft Football Training Center.

Stoops noted that he didn't want Gatewood to feel like he was "trapped" at UK or to enroll for classes next week, then learn that he did not win the job, which could cost him a year of eligibility.

"I thought it was the right decision to let him know where we stand, and he appreciated that," Stoops said.

Sophomore Nik Scalzo and freshman Kaiya Sheron, both of whom have been showing good signs in fall camp, will be competing behind Levis and Allen.

Levis spent three years at Penn State, including a redshirt season in 2018. In 15 career games, he completed 61 of 102 passes for 644 yards and three touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound athlete also had 133 rushing attempts for 473 yards and six touchdowns.

Due to the NCAA's Covid-19 ruling on the 2020 season, Levis has three years of eligibility remaining with UK.