Mark Stoops isn't ready to name a starter, but 'I know Cutter (Boley) is going to play.'

Mark Stoops wanted to clarify his post-Ole Miss comments about the quarterback position and whether Zach Calzada or Cutter Boley would lead the Wildcats against Eastern Michigan this weekend and beyond. Kentucky’s current starter, the seventh-year transfer from Incarnate Word, went down with a shoulder injury, leading to the redshirt freshman replacing him in the final minutes of the loss.

After the game, Stoops said he would “certainly” reevaluate the starting job, regardless of Calzada’s status.

“I want to see Cutter. Yeah. I want to see him,” he said.

In his weekly gameweek press conference on Monday, the UK head coach rephrased things a bit, making it clear that his excitement in the extended look Boley could see against EMU is no different than his excitement in any player stepping up in a tough situation.

“Don’t overblow that for a quarterback, like everybody does. I’m always excited for the next man up,” he said.

Stoops doubled down on that stance during his call-in radio show Monday evening, saying, “I’m not going to throw one player under the bus,” punching Calzada while he’s down to prop Boley up. He will, though, talk about what he sees in the Hodgenville native as a former four-star recruit getting live reps with the starters on Saturday and why he trusts him to make the most of the opportunity.

He won’t guarantee he’ll start, but he’ll guarantee Boley will play.

“Cutter got an opportunity to play in that game. He’s clearly going to get an opportunity in this game,” Stoops said. “I’m not going to say on Monday afternoon that he’s going to be the starter — because that’s not fair to Zach, either. I need to see his health and see what he’s doing. But I can clearly say that I know Cutter is going to play.”

Boley made his debut last year in Gainesville — a tough one for the true freshman, going 0/6 with a pick in late snaps off the bench in the blowout loss. He followed that up with a strong 130-yard, two-touchdown effort in a win over Murray State, then flashed on the big stage at No. 3 Texas with an efficient 160 yards. His start in the finale vs. Louisville? Not so great, going 6/15 for 48 yards and two interceptions.

The sample size is growing in year two, Boley adding 38 yards through the air and 14 on the ground in the final minutes vs. Ole Miss. That experience is preparing him for the moment Stoops is ready to hand him the keys to the offense as the face of the program.

Will that be now? It’s possible, considering his growth and the confidence he has in the young standout.

“He learned a great deal, he will tell you that. Going into that situation last year was very difficult. We had to see what he was all about and had to give him that opportunity. He did very well under the circumstances. Had a rough game in the last game of the year, but he’s learned so much from that. He’s just — he’s grown. He knows the offense so much better now, he’s a year older. He’s gotten a lot more reps, and he’s much more prepared.

“He’s only going to get better. He’s going to get better with every opportunity, with every week.”

Stoops compared Boley’s situation to those of Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, two of the best quarterbacks in the world who haven’t always been the best quarterbacks in the world. They both started raw, but with all of the tools to be great. It took time and experience within a system.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the redshirt freshman knows that — but that’s also what makes him special.

“He’s just embracing it, you know? He knows he still has a lot to learn. You watch a few series of that game last night (Sunday Night Football), late in the second half. You watch those quarterbacks, and how many years into their system are they right now? It is quite amazing the level that they play at. And it just goes to show you that — you talk about one week, one year, two years, three years, four years. I mean, that growth is going to happen for a long time to come.”

Stoops isn’t guaranteeing a future NFL MVP contender in Boley, but trusting the process could lead to serious rewards. This weekend will help decide just how quickly that process moves.