Kentucky QB battle: Mark Stoops confirms Zach Calzada, Cutter Boley still competing to be starter

It’s long been thought this offseason that, eventually, the quarterback depth chart would set up with Zach Calzada as QB1, Cutter Boley as QB2 at Kentucky. However, with how things have played out so far in fall camp, the competition is still ongoing in Lexington.

Mark Stoops spoke this morning on stage at the annual kickoff luncheon at Churchill Downs. It was there that he revealed that the Wildcats are still undecided about their starting quarterback between Calzada and Boley, with them expecting the position to be better either way regardless of their choice between them.

Is Cutter Boley going to start Week 1 for Kentucky? Probably not but it does sound like the young quarterback has made some major progress in fall camp.

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“Everybody wants to know about quarterback, and we’re going to be much-improved,” said Stoops on Monday. “You know, we have Zach Calzada, Cutter Boley. Both of them are really playing exceptionally well.”

“I really like (Calazada’s) experience. He’s been around a long time – he’s played in this league, he’s won big games…Big thing is his experience. He’s a big guy. He can make all the throws. He has a strong arm,” Stoop said. “You know, he’s in a battle with Cutter Boley. You know, I think, Cutter is a guy that’s a redshirt freshman that we all anticipate (to be) the future of this program. When that happens, I don’t know. But, Zach has been very steady, very good through camp – as has Cutter.”

This is coming off the Wildcats’ second and final scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday. Calzada continues to trend as the starter coming out of that, but Boley is seemingly still competing as part of the competition based on his performance this weekend, which Stoops noted afterward.

“I felt like (the quarterbacks) played good,” said Stoops to the media following the scrimmage. “I thought, you know, Cutter was very efficient early in particular. He had some really nice drives and, you know, put some things together, got the ball in the end zone so that was really good to see.

Calzada was brought in from the transfer portal this offseason for what is his seventh collegiate season at his fourth program. Boley is then redshirt freshman coming off his first college season at his in-state program.

Calzada has made 38 appearances, 32 of those being starts, at Texas A&M and Auburn, where he didn’t play due to injury, elsewhere in the SEC before spending the past two years at Incarnate Word in the FCS. In his four years total playing for the Aggies and Cardinals, Calzada has posted 62.7% completion for 8,660 yards, 73 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions, including coming off a career-best campaign last fall as one of the best players at the level with 65.5% completion for 3,744 yards, 35 touchdowns, and nine picks in San Antonio.

Boley, a Hodgenville, Kentucky native, is coming off his true freshman season after being a four-star recruit who came in to make four appearances late in the season for UK. After sitting behind QBs Brock Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt, Boley, following an earlier outing coming in late in a loss at Florida, appeared in each of their final three games, including starting their finale, against Murray State, Texas, and Louisville and went 26-47 (55.3%) for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions.

With that, Boley is expected to some day be the full-time starter in the bluegrass, whether at some point this season or moving forward with the program. That’s been more clear based on the development he’s had this offseason going into his redshirt freshman season, which still has him in contention at the position this fall.

“I think he’s grown the most, just knowledge, just putting it all together. You understand, he’s a very young player still. And it’s a hard position to play – like, we all understand that, you know, being a starting quarterback in the SEC is very difficult,” Stoops said of Boley to the media this morning in Louisville. “I just think letting him grow, letting him get better, putting him in as many situations as you can – and now you’re starting to see that comfort from him. You’ve always seen that ability. It’s just his, you know, comfort level with running the offense and, when things break down, you know, knowing where to go with the football. Just, he feels more comfortable and, you know, that’s evident with the way he’s playing.”

“You know, I felt like Zach was having some really good practices and kind of separating and then, all of a sudden, Cutter comes out last Saturday and has a remarkable scrimmage and looked as comfortable as he’s looked since he’s been here, with really putting it all together,” Stoops later said on stafe. “We all saw flashes in games and in practice with his ability with his arm, but putting it all together and really having that comfort level and that command of the offense takes some time, and he’s getting very comfortable and he’s making big gains. So, that’s really terrific to see, both for this year and for the future.”

Kentucky has less than two weeks now until what’s becoming a key opener for them against Toledo at Kroger Field. That leaves around a week for the Wildcats to make things official between the two options, with Boley apparently keeping himself very much in contention with Calzada for the job.