4-star QB Matt Ponatoski reaffirms commitment status with Kentucky: 'I'm 100 percent locked in.'

Kentucky’s quarterback play in Saturday’s loss to Ole Miss left a lot to be desired, but someone who might be able to change that down the road was watching from the sidelines.

Matt Ponatoski, a four-star quarterback out of Moeller (OH), was in attendance to watch his future team come up short at Kroger Field in a 30-23 loss to the Rebels. A dual-sport athlete who is also committed to play baseball at Kentucky, Ponatoski wasn’t originally expecting to make the trip from Cincinnati to Lexington this weekend, but his schedule opened up nicely and allowed him to spend the day around the program. Still a senior in high school, he was probably itching to put on his helmet and take the field for the Wildcats.

After all, Ponatoski is among the most talented quarterbacks to ever commit to Kentucky, up there with redshirt freshman Cutter Boley, who might just be the starter for next week’s game against Eastern Michigan. Rivals ranks Ponatoski as a top 100 overall class of 2026 prospect and a top 10 quarterback in the cycle. He chose UK over the likes of Alabama, Arkansas, and Oregon — this was a major recruiting win for head coach Mark Stoops and his staff.

Ponatoski proved his talent this past Friday in a matchup with Trinity, the state of Kentucky’s top-ranked team. He admittedly struggled in the first half, taking three sacks, nearly throwing an interception, and suffering an ankle injury right before the break. Moeller trailed 14-3 at halftime. Then he woke up and took over, finishing with 201 passing yards and three touchdowns while completing 23 of 28 passes.

Moeller pulled off the comeback win, 24-21.

“He might be the most competitive kid I’ve ever met, and that’s why he’s so great,” Moeller head coach Bert Bathiany told KSR postgame of his star quarterback. “He just goes into a different level, right? He knows it’s going to fall on his shoulders so he just decided it’s on me, I got to make some plays. And then he leans on his teammates to make those plays.”

Whether it ends up being in football or baseball (a sport he’s also a highly-regarded prospect in), the future is bright for Ponatoski. Luckily for the Big Blue Nation, that future is in Lexington. He reaffirmed his commitment to Kentucky with KSR following his impressive performance on Friday.

“We kind of know that we’re (in the) start of the season, things are busy. We’ve been in contact here and there,” Ponatoski said of his recent conversations with Kentucky. “I’ve talked to Coach (Mike) Hartline a few times and I think I’m gonna get on the phone with Coach (Bush) Hamden this week. But it’s all good, you know?

“I’m 100 percent locked in with them and they don’t have anything to worry about because I took my time with my commitment and I’m locked in. They’re the school that I like and they’re the school that’s been there for a long time. Kentucky is where I want to be.”

There hasn’t been any news to suggest Ponatoski was ever considering backing off his pledge, but it’s never a bad thing to hear him publicly state his heart remains with the Kentucky Wildcats.