Cutter Boley is the QB of the future, not the now
If you listened only to Mark Stoops’ words this week, you might believe Kentucky has a wide-open quarterback competition. At the Greater Louisville UK Alumni 2025 Wildcat Kickoff Luncheon, Stoops was asked about his quarterback room and made sure to praise both Zach Calzada and Cutter Boley. His exact phrasing was that Calzada was “in a battle” with Boley, the redshirt freshman who represents the program’s long-term future.
But reading the full context tells a different story — one where Stoops is heavily invested in Calzada as the starter.
“Zach Calzada is a transfer, a sixth-year player. I really like his experience. He’s been around a long time. He’s played in this league, he’s won big games. He was the starting quarterback at Texas A&M years ago under Jimbo Fisher. Won a bunch of critical games there,” Stoops said. “Had an injury, bounced around a little bit, but big thing is his experience. He’s a big guy, he can make all the throws. He has a strong arm. And he’s in a battle with Cutter Boley.”
Stoops continued: “Cutter is a guy that’s a redshirt freshman that we all anticipate is the future of this program. When that happens, I don’t know. But Zach has been very steady and very good through camp. As has Cutter.”
That sounds like a coach trying to balance optimism about a young prospect with loyalty to a veteran. But the reality is simple: Kentucky didn’t recruit Calzada out of the Transfer Portal just to sit him. He’s entering his seventh year of college football with one last chance to prove himself. If Stoops doesn’t start him, it would send a brutal message to future transfer QBs about coming to Lexington. Why would a one-year guy risk it if Calzada couldn’t win the job?
That’s why, regardless of Stoops’ public comments, the program is tied to Calzada to start 2025. Boley may eventually take the reins — and Stoops clearly believes in his long-term upside — but the season begins and likely rises or falls with the veteran.
For Stoops, the risk is obvious. If Calzada falters, he may lose not just games, but also credibility with the fanbase and recruits. But at this stage, it’s a risk he has no choice but to take.