5 quarterbacks Kentucky must target after Cutter Boley bolts

Look, no one wanted this to happen. BBN loves their own, and Boley was definitely that. Growing up in Kentucky, playing at Lexington Christian, committing to Kentucky and then actually starting. That is the kind of story fans love on the level of Tim Couch.

When Stein was hired, Couch spoke about how excited he was to see Will work with Cutter, that will not be happening as Cutter Boley is entering the Transfer portal.

The timing is less than ideal, with the portal opening tomorrow, but when a starting QB leaves the timing is never great. Rumors persist that Arizona State will be the leader after Sam Leavitt left the Sun Devils for the portal, but where does that leave Kentucky?

Kentucky football quarterback Transfer Portal big board

1) Austin Novosad- Oregon

This one is a no-brainer. He knows Stein, he knows the system, and he is currently in the portal. He is a former top-15 qb coming out of high school and has all the talent to play on Sunday's. With Boley leaving, it opens the door for immediate playing time. That may be too much for the current Oregon Duck to pass up.

2) Josh Hoover- TCU

Josh Hoover is one of the most talented QB's in the portal. Our sister site over at Saturday Blitz has him as the 7th best QB in the portal. Josh Yourish said, "Josh Hoover has the arm to spray the ball all over the field from the pocket, and when he’s hot, he can be one of the most prolific passers in the country. However, he’s streaky and can run cold as well. When Hoover misses, he tends to miss in high danger areas, sailing throws over the middle of the field." That sounds awfully familiar to Cutter Boley who put the ball in danger a lot with 12 INTs this year. Hoover has 9,629 passing yards and 71 TDs in his career, he can make all the throws and according to Pete Thamel, there is legit interest.

3) Byrum Brown- USF

Byrum Brown had a massive year down at South Florida. He threw for 3,158 and 28 TDs to only 7 INTs and did it completing 66 percent of his passes. Will Stein loves that kind of accuracy, and that would look great in Kentucky blue. He will only have 1 year left, but that shouldn't deter Stein and Sloan from persuing Brown. Remember Kentucky hasn't had a 3000 yard passer since before Mark Stoops arrived in 2012.

4) DJ Lagway- Florida

Look, he struggled this year, let's get that out of the way. 2,264 yards 16 TDs and 14 INTs isn't something to right home about, but the talent is undeniable. He is a freak of nature and throws one of the best deep balls in college football. He understands the SEC, and do we remember Bo Nix at Auburn? 2,293 yards 11 TDs and 3 INTs. His senior year at Oregon under Will Stein? 4,508 yards 45 TDs and 3 INTs. You can look at Dillon Gabriel and now Dante Moore as further proof of Stein being able to product remarkable QB turnarounds. Lagway could be the next.

5) Deuce Knight- Auburn

If Kentucky and Stein want to go young, replacing a redshirt sophomore in Boley with a redshirt freshman in Deuce Knight would be the move to make. At 6'4, he has all the tools but just needs a little refinement. That is where Stein comes in. In his lone start for Auburn this year, the freshman QB went 17 of 25 for 259 yards, 2 TDs while piling up 178 yards and 4 TDs on the ground. That is elite production. Kentucky will be fighting elite programs if they want to get in on this recruitment.

The fact is Cutter is gone, and Will Stein will need a new QB, probably 2. You also have Matt Ponatoski coming in as a true freshman who could be the guy as well. Keep an eye on our Transfer Portal tracker as we update any movement at all.