In perhaps the least surprising news of the offseason, Kentucky QB Will Levis confirmed that he’s bound for the NFL, where many mock drafts have suggested him as a potential first-round pick, perhaps even a very high first-round pick.

Levis’ NFL potential has been hotly debated, as his skill set and inconsistent production have both been very obvious to all. Of course, playing behind a horrific offensive line this season at Kentucky and fighting through the ensuing injuries did little to help his productivity. Which made it even less surprising that Levis is moving on to the financially greener pastures of Sunday football.

Behind Levis, well, there’s not much.

When Levis missed the South Carolina game due to a reported case of turf toe, Kentucky turned to untried reserve Kaiya Sheron, who did not fare well in the Wildcats’ home loss to the Gamecocks. Coming out of spring practice, Beau Allen was expected to back up Levis, but he transferred to FCS-level Tarleton State, where he passed for 2,823 yards and 23 touchdowns and was named WAC Newcomer of the Year.

Levis heading out wasn’t a surprise, but it very much underlines the significance of the transfer portal in Kentucky’s search for his replacement.

The last homegrown full-time UK starting quarterback predates Mark Stoops’ coaching tenure. Patrick Towles was recruited by Joker Phillips and started for the Wildcats in 2014 and 2015, but after struggles in the latter season, he transferred to Boston College.

Kentucky was prepared to hand the keys to the program to 4-star recruit Drew Barker, but he either sustained or aggravated a back injury in the 2016 season’s first 2 games that basically ended his career. JUCO quarterback Stephen Johnson, added after Towles’ departure, then became the starting QB for 2016 and 2017.

Then former Oregon/JUCO QB Terry Wilson came to town, and he started in 2018, 2019 (when he suffered a season-ending injury early in the year), and 2020, before he left for New Mexico as UK moved to a more pass-heavy offense.

Enter Levis, a running specialist at Penn State, who promptly was handed the keys to the offense and led UK to a 17-7 mark as a starter in Lexington.

It’s not as if Kentucky stopped recruiting high school quarterbacks — they just had lousy luck keeping them. Jarren Williams and Mac Jones were one-time UK commits. Williams signed with Miami; Jones with Alabama. Given WIlliams’ stumbles, that broken match was probably for the best. Not so much on Jones. And when UK kept striking out in high school recruiting, the even expanding transfer market became the answer.

Of course, part of the revolving door at quarterback has centered around the revolving door at the offensive coordinator position. Eddie Gran came from Cincinnati with plans for a wide-open passing offense. That lasted for the opener in 2016 against Southern Miss, when Barker flashed great talent, but ultimately never played at that level again.

With a dual-threat guy in Johnson taking the reins, Gran went to a new offense, a move he had to replicate in 2019, when Wilson’s injury ultimately forced receiver Lynn Bowden to play quarterback. But Levis moved to center stage under Liam Coen, and that duo had much to do with Kentucky’s 10-win season in 2021. The Levis/Rich Scangarello dynamic never seemed quite as full of chemistry, which is part of why UK went 7-5 in 2022.

It’s not ideal for the Wildcats to need an offensive coordinator and a starting quarterback as they enter December. But this is college football’s new reality. A coach will be hired, and a veteran QB with ties to that coach or his system or with interest in the same will be added to the roster. How well that fit is managed, and how long that coordinator stays at his position will have plenty to do with Kentucky’s 2023 season, which will have plenty to do with how long (and how happily) Stoops stays in Lexington.

If college football ever wasn’t a 12-month sport, it certainly is now. Kentucky is back where it has been time and again, scanning the portal and seeking its next starting QB. The good news it that it worked pretty well last time — or actually, the past several times. Maybe Stoops and the Wildcats are on a hot streak.