There was no point in delaying it.

The first question served to Mark Stoops on Friday during Kentucky Football Media Day got right to the topic on everyone's collective mind.

Who's going to start at quarterback for the Wildcats, and would it be nice to have that established as soon as possible?

Stoops, entering his ninth year as head coach at Kentucky, noted the battle is just getting underway, and the staff wants to make sure it finds the right man to lead the Cats' new offensive attack.

"It's more important to get it right than to be in a hurry," Stoops said. "Is there a benefit (to getting the position settled)? Yes, I believe there is. There's a benefit to getting reps. That's part of the negative to having a lot of talented players at any position, but it seems like it's obviously much easier to rotate guys in throughout practice and preseason at other spots than quarterback.

"We do feel like there is quality depth (at quarterback) maybe for the first time. You go all the way down and have four or five guys that you feel confident could play football at this level."

A talented trio is expected to top the depth chart as practice begins. Junior Joey Gatewood, who transferred to UK from Auburn last season, and sophomore Beau Allen, a former four-star recruit from Lexington Catholic High School, are back after spending the spring learning the scheme being installed by new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

They'll likely be challenged by Will Levis, a junior transfer from Penn State who just arrived on campus this summer.

Kentucky is also high on two other young players, sophomore Nik Scalzo and freshman Kaiya Sheron, who give the program more depth than it has had at football's most important position in years.

Coen, who joined the UK staff after spending the last three years with the NFL's Los Angeles Rams, conceded that Levis is playing catch-up with the other quarterbacks on the roster.

"He's obviously an intelligent, bright kid who can pick up scheme and things pretty quickly, which is nice," Coen said of Levis. "All the guys did such a nice job of learning the offense in the spring (but) now he's a little bit behind because he needs to learn the basics and rep the basics before we can take it to the next level."

The buzz around UK football circles this summer suggested that Levis may have the upper hand in the quarterback race. But some -- including Stoops and Coen -- have been quick to point out that he's not had a single practice with the Cats.

Meanwhile, Gatewood reportedly made tremendous strides during spring practice, especially with his accuracy on throws of 20 yards or more downfield.

"Not being able to see Will throw live since he's gotten here," Coen said, "I really don't have that idea yet. We'll know a little bit more today and after the first few practices.

"As coach Stoops mentioned, I think that it's a great opportunity to build the depth that we have in the room, but also we're not in a hurry. We want to make this decision right and pick the best player to lead our offense. Ultimately, the quarterback should be the face of your program."

If nothing is settled during camp, could more than one quarterback emerge with considerable playing time early in the season?

"That's a great question," Coen said. "I haven't really thought about that one, to be honest. I would prefer not to.

"... At the end of the day, I think it takes care of itself."