Oct 12, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops runs onto the field before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Who should Mark Stoops start at QB for the Kentucky Wildcats?

Originally posted on Kentucky Wildcats on SI
By Andrew Stefaniak | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 10:11 AM ET

Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Wildcats are set to get things started on Saturday, the 30th, against the Toledo Rockets, but with only a week till the season kicks off, he still has a big decision to make.

During almost all of the offseason, it has looked like Zach Calzada was going to be the starting quarterback, but the young gunslinger, Cutter Boley, is making a push.

Boley started making a push for the job over the last few weeks, and then Stoops told the media that he has not yet made a decision on who will start at quarterback. With the season seven days away, Stoops has still not named a starting QB, but a decision is likely coming soon.

The question of the day is what makes the most sense for Stoops to do at the quarterback position. While it might frustrate fans because Kentucky spent so much NIL money on Calzada, it makes sense to give Boley the nod.

If Coach Stoops is on the hot seat as much as everyone thinks, then why would he not want to throw out the young hotshot Boley, who has a lot of eligibility left? If the Wildcats find a way to win five or six games on the season with Boley at QB, this will build some excitement for next season.

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It would be somewhat similar to what happened at Florida last season with DJ Lagway. Boley is not Lagway, but the thought of playing a young, solid QB to keep the coach around seems to make a lot of sense.

Some fans are bought into Calzada being on his whole redemption tour in the SEC after two previous stops, but when you really think about it, Boley makes the most sense.

Right now, the odds are likely still in favor of Calzada starting next week against a solid Toledo team, but his leash won't be long with a massive week two game against Ole Miss.

More than likely, Coach Stoops will name his QB on Monday, but if he were to show a little gamesmanship, he could wait until later in the week.

This article first appeared on Kentucky Wildcats on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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