Cutter Boley "pushing the needle" at QB as Cats wind down camp

Entering his 13th season at Kentucky, Mark Stoops has not been known for creating a buzz with his position-battle comments leading into a season.

He did so this week, however, when discussing the Wildcats’ quarterback situation at the Louisville UK Alumni Kickoff Luncheon.

“I think Cutter (Boley) is a guy who is a redshirt freshman who we all anticipate is the future of this program,” Stoops said on Monday at Churchill Downs. “When that happens, I don’t know… I felt like Zach was having really good practices and kinda separating, then all of the sudden Cutter comes out last Saturday and has a remarkable scrimmage and looked as comfortable as he’s looked since he’s been here.

“We saw flashes of that in games and in practice with his arm, but putting it all together and really having that comfort level and command of the offense takes some time. He’s getting very comfortable and making big gains.”

Upon viewing the clip of Stoops’ comments on social media, many fans immediately asked, “Do the Cats have a quarterback controversy?”

Unlikely.

Kentucky invested a great deal of NIL funds in grad senior transfer Zach Calzada, who has been running with the first team throughout fall camp and remains the probable starter when the Cats kick off the season against Toledo on Aug. 30 at Kroger Field.

Sources inside the Joe Craft Football Training Center say it’s not a matter of Calzada’s performance — which has been steady — but the impressive strides that Boley has taken since the end of the 2024 season, when the true freshman was forced into action prematurely.

“Cutter’s doing a lot of really good things,” UK offensive cooridinator Bush Hamdan said after Tuesday’s practice. “To see where he’s come from last year to this year, just his mental approach, how calm he is out there. He is pushing the needle on this thing in a big way.”

Boley, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound athlete who was a four-star prospect coming out of Lexington Christian Academy, says it’s simply a matter of feeling more comfortable in his second year under Hamdan.

“It’s the best ball that I’ve ever played, this fall camp,” he said. “I’ve taken a lot of steps, and one of the biggest ones is just being in command of everything, the operation. Not just being a good thrower, but being an all-around good quarterback and being the captain and in command of the offense.”

Countless hours on the field and in the film room together has helped Boley feel like “an extension of coach Hamdan.”

“Kinda knowing what he’s thinking when he calls something,” Boley said. “What’s he thinking on this? What’s he trying to get out of it?”

With two quarterbacks playing well in camp, Hamdan — who has often rotated players at the position during the course of a season — was asked if he sees a similar situation unfolding for the Cats.

“We’re in a situation where we need to get the one guy as comfortable as he can get with who he’s playing with,” he said, adding that those scenarios in the past typically involved one dual-threat quarterback. Both Calzada and Boley are more traditional, pocket quarterbacks.

Hamdan did note, however, that the history of the SEC suggests you may need two players at the position.

“Both of them are going to have to win games for us,” he said.

“I’m just excited to be out here and competing,” Boley said. “I’m just preparing as if I’m going to be the starter, and at any point, whenever my time comes, I’ll be 100% better.”

Boley appeared in four games for UK last season, completing 26 of 53 passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions.