After some back-and-forth between passers over the last few weeks, Kentucky Football head coach Mark Stoops has decided to officially make a quarterback change.
Stoops announced on Monday that true freshman Cutter Boley will start under center for the Wildcats in their Governor’s Cup matchup against Louisville.
The move comes after a strong appearance against Texas, where Boley entered the game after halftime. The freshman was 10-of-18 passing for 160 yards in the 14-31 loss.
“I thought he just handled himself very well once again. (I) thought he had a lot of poise in the pocket. I thought he distributed the football, had the vision to hit open receivers, the arm strength to get the ball down the field on a second play,” Stoops said in his Monday press conference. “So I thought he did some really good things and he deserves the opportunity to get his start here this week.”
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Boley is a former four-star recruit from nearby Lexington Christian Academy. He was the 25th ranked quarterback in the 2024 graduating class.
He replaces Brock Vandagriff — a former four-star recruit and transfer from the Georgia Bulldogs. Vandagriff had been underwhelming this year, throwing 9 touchdowns against 7 interceptions.
Kentucky is currently 4-7 and will not receive a bowl game invitation for the first time in seven years. In a sense, that takes a lot of pressure off of Boley —who will be playing with nothing to lose and everything to prove in Kentucky’s final regular season game.
That matchup against the Cardinals is slated for noon this Saturday, November 30.