Most, if not virtually all of Will Stein's recruiting success in Lexington has come by way of his own steady hand. Stein has pitched countless new commitments on his vision for Kentucky Football; whatever he's saying, it's working. Kentucky's 2027 class is currently ranked No. 15 in the nation according to 247Sports.
As far as this year goes, while not nationally revered, Stein has pieced together a WIldcats team that appears bound to compete, at the very least. Kenny Minchey under center is set to lead a promising offense watched carefully by one of the nation's most refined minds on that side of the ball, in Stein.
But at quarterback, in the case that Minchey needs a backup plan, Kentucky has long held onto four-star signal caller Matt Ponatoski. Out of Ohio, Ponatoski committed to Kentucky prior to the Mark Stoops fallout, and decided to stay on board in spite of the abrupt coaching change that followed.
Yet, now, the Cats' primary backup plan may be cooked. Per a podcast on Overslotbaseball.com, the valued high school recruit may take an entirely different route instead of college football.
The MLB Draft. We may have a sport-switching decision on our hands, BBN.
Matt Ponatoski May Switch Sports
Ponatoski has long been a multi-sport athlete, but it was the impression of many that his commitment to Kentucky Football signaled a security in at least playing both in Lexington. That no longer appears to be the case and, in fact, may never have been in the first place.
On the podcast (and per the Lexington Herald-Leader), Ponatoski said, “I think people who don’t talk to me face to face might get an idea that I want to go play college football... I do, but that's option 1B."
Option 1A, according to Ponatoski himself, is as follows: "...to go be a (MLB) draft pick and go get drafted and go be in an organization at 18 rather than go to college and be in an organization at 21, which is not a bad option either. I want to be drafted. That’s 1A for sure.”
An Awkward Fit
It seems, then, that Kentucky isn't at the forefront of Ponatoski's mind. While a two-sport stretch in Lexington remains possible, one of the final remnants of Stoops' time in Kentucky may be headed out in a similar manner to him: Very suddenly, and with a tinge of confusion.
While the majority of Stein's Cats reported to summer workouts last week, Ponatoski remained absent amidst this growingly tense waiting period. He instead remained with his high school baseball team. Redshirt freshman Brennen Ward and transfer JacQai Long are both set to battle for the backup quarterback spot already, meaning Ponatoski would likely slot into that push-n-pull.
On top of that, with Minchey likely back for the season after this one and No. 2 overall quarterback Jake Nawrot coming onto the scene, perhaps it was never meant to be for Ponatoski at Kroger Field.
Whether or not Stein accounted for this sinker is beside the point. Cats fans will be focused on the guys on the gridiron as Ponatoski continues to deliberate his decision; if that's where he ultimately ends up, he'll have the BBN at his back just like anyone else in the blue and white.
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