Joe Sloan didn’t meet Cutter Boley for the first time when he landed in Lexington this week.
"Cutter and I have been around each other every day (since arriving)," Sloan said. "I recruited him back when he was in high school, so we’ve had a longstanding relationship."
Kentucky Football OC Joe Sloan on Cutter Boley:
— Cats Coverage (@Cats_Coverage) December 17, 2025
“Cutter and I have been around each other every day (since arriving to Lexington). I’m excited to work with him.”
He continued, “I recruited him back when he was in high school, so we’ve had a longstanding relationship.” pic.twitter.com/UsthPRPy9S
That trust matters, because Boley’s path has already been bumpy. He committed as the homegrown hero when Mark Stoops was still in charge, sat behind Brock Vandagriff, then got thrown into a disaster of a Louisville game where the team lost 41-14. Heading into 2025, he was supposed to sit behind Zach Calzada, but an injury opened the door and Boley never gave the job back.
After Stoops was fired, there was a moment where he said he was thinking about leaving, that seems to have past for now. With the Transfer Portal still open until into January, you can never be sure.
The arm talent is SEC-ready but Cutter Boley's turnover numbers are scary
The production shows exactly why coaches and fans are tantalized by his talent. In the 2025 season, Boley completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 2,160 yards and 15 touchdowns. He can make every throw on the field.
But the problem is the other column: 16 interceptions and 33 sacks taken.
That is a turnover ratio that loses you games in the SEC. Some of that is protection issues, sure. But a lot of it is "hero ball." It's holding onto the ball for 3.5 seconds trying to hit a 40-yard bomb when the check-down is open. It's forcing a slant into double coverage because you trust your arm too much.
Adam Luckett of On3 recently said Boley is projected to be Kentucky’s QB1 in 2026. If that is where this is headed, Sloan’s first big project is obvious: keep the accuracy, keep the aggression, but slash the mistakes.
The good news? This is exactly what Joe Sloan was hired to do. He is a developer. His job is to pair Boley’s arm with Will Stein’s efficient scheme, teaching Boley that a boring 6-yard completion is better than a risky 50-yard incompletion. He was Jayden Daniels' QB coach when Daniels won the Heisman so there is definitely some history there.
If that happens, the Louisville loss becomes a footnote in a great career. If it doesn’t, and the turnovers continue, the "offensive powerhouse" vision is going to feel a lot farther away than BBN wants.