One of the country’s biggest quarterback battles will take place in Lexington, Kentucky, this spring.
Graduate quarterback Zach Calzada and freshman Cutter Boley will duel over the position this offseason.
Mark Stoops’ Take on the QB Room
Head coach Mark Stoops had a recent interview with Kentucky Sports Radio and gave his two cents on the situation under center.
“It’s an open competition…Yes, (they are both taking starting reps),” Stoops said.
“Yeah, definitely.”
After a disappointing 2024 season that saw the Wildcats go just 4-8 overall (1-7 in conference), Stoops has a sense of urgency and is looking to turn the tide this season.
With the quarterback position being the most important part of the team, Stoops has to get this right. As a true freshman last season, Cutter Boley played in just four games, throwing for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions.
Start cutter boley #BBN pic.twitter.com/fTpPDU4dBo
— Austin (@austinpowell31) November 24, 2024
However, if the team is looking to go with the experienced arm, they might want to go with Calzada. The former Texas A&M single-caller and Southland Player of the Year while at Incarnate Word has started three full seasons of college football and played across four years. His best season of college football came in 2024 while at Incarnate Word, where he completed a career-best 343 passes for a career-high 3,744 yards and 35 touchdowns.
If Stoops wants to win, he might want to roll with Calzada, who has all of that aforementioned experience and knows how to win in the SEC. While with the Aggies in 2021, he went 6-4 and guided them to a bowl berth.
Kentucky Is Looking To Be a Winner Again
A former SEC Coach of the Year, Stoops has done a great job overall of turning the ship around at Kentucky.
In 12 seasons, he has guided the Wildcats to eight bowl games, six winning seasons, and a 10-win season.
Now the most experienced coach in the SEC, Stoops has not won eight games or more since the 2019 season. It is time for Stoops to bring the Wildcats back.
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Starting Calzada at the start of the season could go a long way toward at least getting the team off to a great start in 2025.
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