KSR Today: Kentucky wraps up Fall Camp...with a Quarterback Battle?

We’re officially in the dog days of summer. It’s brutally hot outside, football is close but not close enough, and, from a personal standpoint, I’m on day two of a five-day cleanse that doesn’t allow caffeine.

Alas, you’re not here to hear me whine. We’ve got another busy day ahead of us. Kentucky’s fall camp wraps up today, and after practice, we’ll hear from offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. After Mark Stoops’ comments on Monday, I have a feeling one topic will dominate his conversation with reporters.

We’ll hear from Bush Hamdan

The media wasn’t allowed to watch Saturday’s scrimmage, but everyone who did came away talking about Cutter Boley. The redshirt freshman’s performance was so impressive that Mark Stoops told fans at the Louisville Kickoff Luncheon that Boley is gaining on Zach Calzada in the battle for the starting quarterback spot.

“Cutter is a guy who’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. But I feel like if one was leaning one way or another, Zach was having some really good practice and separating, and 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, really putting it all together. We all saw flashes in games and in practices with his ability and his arm, but putting it all together and really having that comfort level and command of the offense takes time, and he’s getting very comfortable and making big gains.”

Is Stoops just giving fans at the luncheon something to chew on, or does Cutter have a legit chance to win the starting spot? The truth is probably somewhere in the middle. As excited as Stoops and the staff are about Cutter’s potential, they also love Calzada’s experience. I’d still expect to see Calzada start vs. Toledo, but Cutter will get opportunities, especially given Hamdan’s track record of playing two quarterbacks.

We’ll hear from Hamdan and members of the offense around lunch. Check the site this afternoon for notes and the YouTube Channel for the full conversation. Nick Roush will be sharing their immediate notes on KSBoard.

Kick off the 2025 Kentucky football season with KSR Plus! We’re giving you behind-the-scenes intel you won’t find anywhere else. Join the most vibrant online community in BBN ahead of a pivotal season for Mark Stoops.

At the luncheon, Stoops also assured fans that running back Seth McGowan and wide receiver Kendrick Law will be ready to roll for the opener. McGowan and fellow running back Dante Dowdell sat out both scrimmages, with McGowan nursing a minor injury. Law missed the first scrimmage but was back in action for the second, pulling in some highlight catches.

Once camp wraps today, the Cats will shift into game prep mode for the season opener vs. Toledo on August 30.

After Stoops wrapped, Nick Roush and Zack Geoghegan joined me to share their takes on the quarterback “battle,” Kentucky’s fall camp, Andrija Jelavic’s arrival on campus, and the start of the high school football season. Games begin on Thursday night across the state.

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Chris Rodriguez played well on Monday Night Football

The Cincinnati Bengals came back to beat the Washington Commanders in last night’s preseason game, but that first quarter was not pretty for Cincinnati’s run defense. Chris Rodriguez certainly took advantage of it. C-Rod broke away for a 40-yard run in the first quarter and finished with six carries for a game-high 62 yards. If the Commanders trade away Brian Robinson Jr., Rodriguez could have a big season in Washington.

Chris Rodriguez Jr. gets loose for the big gain!

Watch on ESPN
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/dBKeXjgPpl
— NFL (@NFL) August 19, 2025

The SEC Network has a new anthem

Sadly, there are no SEC games in Week Zero. When the fun starts up in Week One, you’ll hear some new intros. We already knew that the SEC on ABC was switching its anthem to “Backup Plan” by Bailey Zimmerman featuring Luke Combs. The SEC Network also has a new anthem from a musical group you might not normally associate with college football: Mumford & Sons. Last year, the British folk rock band released its first new song in five years, “Good People,” which was produced by Pharrell Williams. You’ll hear it before every game on the SEC Network this year. Again, I don’t really think of college football when I listen to Mumford & Sons, but this hits.

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Here’s that Week 1 SEC Football schedule in case you’re counting down the minutes like I am until real football returns to our televisions. I hate that Texas vs. Ohio State overlaps with Kentucky vs. Toledo.

Date	Time (ET)	Matchup	TV	Location
Thu, Aug 28	7:30 PM	Central Arkansas at Missouri	SEC Network	Memorial Stadium, Columbia, MO
Fri, Aug 29	8:00 PM	Auburn at Baylor	FOX	McLane Stadium, Waco, TX
Sat, Aug 30	12:00 PM	#1 Texas at #3 Ohio State	FOX	Ohio Stadium, Columbus, OH
	12:00 PM	Syracuse at #24 Tennessee	ABC	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA
	12:00 PM	Mississippi State at Southern Miss	ESPN	M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
	12:45 PM	Toledo at Kentucky	SEC Network	Kroger Field, Lexington, KY
	3:30 PM	Marshall at #5 Georgia	ESPN	Sanford Stadium, Athens, GA
	3:30 PM	#8 Alabama at Florida State	ABC	Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, FL
	4:15 PM	Alabama A&M at Arkansas	SEC Network	Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR
	6:00 PM	Illinois State at #18 Oklahoma	ESPN+/SECN+	Memorial Stadium, Norman, OK
	7:00 PM	Long Island University at #15 Florida	ESPN+/SECN+	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, FL
	7:00 PM	UTSA at #19 Texas A&M	ESPN	Kyle Field, College Station, TX
	7:00 PM	Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt	ESPN+/SECN+	FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, TN
	7:30 PM	#9 LSU at #4 Clemson	ABC	Memorial Stadium, Clemson, SC
	7:45 PM	Georgia State at #21 Ole Miss	SEC Network	Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, MS
Sun, Aug 31	3:00 PM	Virginia Tech at #13 South Carolina	ESPN	Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

Move-in Week continues at UK

If you’re in Lexington, avoid the area around campus. It’s move-in week, meaning students are descending upon campus ahead of classes starting next week. That includes the Kentucky Basketball team, which is returning from a brief break. Mark Pope tried his hardest to kick the entire team off campus after summer workouts wrapped the week before last, but Denzel Aberdeen and Reece Potter (who lives in Lexington) were still in the gym last week when he taped his podcast with Matt Norlander.

We know from Jack Pilgrim’s reporting that Jayden Quaintance also returned to campus last week to focus on his rehab from ACL surgery and, of course, that Andrija Jelavic finally arrived from Croatia on Saturday. On Monday night, UK shared this video message from Jelavic to the Big Blue Nation.

Andrija Jelavić has arrived 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZOQYkwAGqq
— Kentucky Men’s Basketball (@KentuckyMBB) August 18, 2025

The rest of the squad is due back by August 21, so expect to hear more reports of the team reassembling after some time off. You may even hear some on tonight’s Sources Say. At 8 p.m. ET, Jack and Shawn Smith will go live to share the latest rumblings around the program and from the recruiting trail. You can find that on the KSR YouTube Channel, along with the rest of our excellent content.

New episode of Hard Knocks

It’s Tuesday, which means we’ve got another episode of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Buffalo Bills to look forward to. Ray Davis got a lot of screen time in last week’s episode for his role as backup kicker. Maxwell Hairston’s injury was featured in episode one. That leaves Deone Walker, who is slowly showing up more and more. Walker played well in the Bills’ loss to the Bears over the weekend. Hopefully, that leads to some screentime for the Bills’ Dancing Bear.

Deone Walker continues to show flashes of why many had him as a Rd. 1 pick over a year ago. Played through a back injury in 2024, but the size and disruptive ability have always been there. I loved it as a Rd. 4 pick, and he has game-wrecking upside. pic.twitter.com/HzXFfTVsbK
— Jon Helmkamp (@JonHelmkamp) August 18, 2025

Keeneland Fall Meet tickets go on sale

Want to secure your spot at Keeneland’s Fall Meet (Oct. 3-25)? Get your credit card ready because tickets go on sale this morning at 9 a.m. ET — so, right now. Kentucky Football plays two home games during the fall meet this year, Texas (Oct. 18) and Tennessee (Oct. 25). I have a feeling Longhorns fans will seize the opportunity to check out Keeneland, so if you were considering the daily double that weekend, get those tickets now.

Keeneland is in the midst of some big renovations. Fans who attend the Fall Meet will get to see the initial phase of construction, which includes a reimagined Saddling Paddock featuring centralized saddling stalls, new Jockeys’ Quarters, ceremonial Stakes Winner’s Circle, and a striking new East Entrance.

The UK Marching Band got new uniforms

When the UK Marching Band takes the field on August 30, they’ll do so in style. The band showed off their new uniforms yesterday on social media. The new threads feature “Kentucky” on a sash across the front, the state outline on the back, and the alternative Wildcat logo on the hats. According to one band member, they’re incredibly comfortable, too. Hopefully, with lots of ventilation for those hot September Saturdays.