Mailbag: So, why wasn’t Cutter Boley Kentucky’s starting quarterback all along?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky's offensive line boosted rushing yards and reduced sacks in early play.
- Quarterback shift to Boley raised questions about coaching camp decisions.
- Injuries at cornerback exposed depth issues and defensive vulnerability.
Perhaps the clearest indication yet of the mood of at least a portion of the Kentucky football fan base came in the wake of a 48-23 win over Eastern Michigan.
For the first time this season, UK’s passing game looked effective, but for some, any excitement from the performance just led to more questions. If redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley had that much promise, why did Mark Stoops and Bush Hamdan elect to start Zach Calzada in the first two games anyway?
The Herald-Leader took to social media to ask fans for their reactions to the Eastern Michigan win. That question and more were on their minds at the quarter point of the regular season.
Ben Stephens on X: How would you grade the offensive line play so far?
Kentucky is averaging one sack allowed per game through three games, compared to 2.92 per game last season. Yes, the Wildcats have only played one SEC opponent so far, but combining that stat with the 214.7 rushing yards per game (up from 145.6 last season) make it impossible to give the offensive line anything but an A grade so far. That does not mean it is a guarantee the line will continue to perform to this standard against the elite SEC defenses ahead, but fans could not realistically have hoped for anything better in the first three games.
Mike Johnson on X: I have questions about the wide receivers, lots of them. Kendrick Law needs to get the ball often.
For all the progress the passing attack showed versus Eastern Michigan, the wide receivers combined for just six receptions. The good news is five of those receptions went for at least 16 yards. Those are the type of explosive plays the offense needs from the passing game to keep defenses from stacking the box against the run. I agree that Kentucky appears to have found something with the quick passing game to Law, and it made sense not to reveal any remaining wrinkles in his role last week. The rest of the group needs to step up, though. Kentucky’s tight ends are taking some pressure off the wide receivers, but those matchups will not be as easy to exploit against SEC defenses. I’m a little surprised UK has not found any snaps for the three freshmen listed on the depth chart at wide receiver. At some point, it seems worthwhile to see if that group can help with veterans underperforming.
@brow_down on X: How bad was Cutter’s spring/summer if Calzada won the starting job?
There were multiple questions about this same point submitted this week, and I totally understand the sentiment after watching the first three games. There are a few of important points to remember, though.
- Calzada looked significantly worse in his two games than any of the four open practices reporters saw in the spring and preseason camp.
- During spring practice, there was a clear gap between the two quarterbacks, which makes sense because Calzada was never going to pick a school for his seventh and final college season where he was not confident he would be the starter.
- For all the increasing buzz about Boley in preseason camp, he played almost exclusively against the second-team defense. As evidenced by some of the struggles of UK’s defensive backups against Eastern Michigan, that clearly is not the same challenge as going against the starters.
Now, if you want to criticize the coaching staff for not giving Boley more first-team snaps in camp to see if those improvements carried over against better competition, I totally agree. Boley needed to make major improvements over the summer, and it appears he has. It is worth at least allowing for the possibility that Calzada would have also looked good against Eastern Michigan considering the quality of opponent.
Brow_down also included a snarky comment in his question about Stoops winning the Mid-American Conference every year. That’s a little harsh, but it’s a timely reminder that we still need to see Boley against better competition. I think starting Boley is the only option for the staff now, but it’s not certain he will succeed.
Clay Mason on X: Way better offensively. Cutter taking and completing shots past the line of scrimmage was great to watch. I’m concerned the defense giving up gash plays sets up nicely for UGA and UT to put up 70 each on us.
I’m not ready to hit the panic button yet because the defense let off the gas in a game Kentucky dominated from the first snap, but I do think there is one real area of concern for the defense. It is easy to forget because of how poorly the second half went last year that the defense actually started the 2024 season on a high note. Problems began to arise as injuries and the other natural strain of an eight-game SEC schedule took their toll, exposing a lack of depth. That depth was particularly a problem at cornerback when future first-round pick Maxwell Hairston was sidelined by an injury.
Similar issues showed up against Eastern Michigan. Starting cornerback DJ Waller missed the second straight game, and his replacement, sophomore Terhyon Nichols, was sidelined early by a thigh injury. Third-string corner Kevis Thomas was beat on multiple plays in the disastrous end to the first half. Freshman Grant Grayton played most of the second half at the position. Stoops said last week he expects Waller back after the bye, but Saturday proved Kentucky has work to do to withstand any other injuries.
Ed Helinksi on X: Good or bad, what has surprised you so far about this UK football season?
Considering I predicted Calzada would start every game despite the preseason buzz surrounding Boley, I have to admit I’m surprised at how bad the passing attack looked in the first two games and that it appears Calzada has already lost his job. I’m not even going to pretend my prediction was nullified by the shoulder injury. The passing attack was bad enough through two games to warrant a quarterback change even if Calzada were healthy.
@RinoTrollCat on X: Is South Carolina Mark Stoops’ best and likely final chance of the season to get an SEC win?
South Carolina’s blowout loss to Vanderbilt certainly makes the next game all the more intriguing, but I’m not ready to say Kentucky has no chance in other SEC games. The Wildcats may not be favored in any, but this is a team that almost beat Ole Miss despite an abysmal passing attack. Vanderbilt might actually be the remaining opponent with the most dominant start to the season, but none of the remaining SEC foes have looked unbeatable so far. Here’s how I’d rank the remaining SEC games in likelihood of a win, from most likely to least likely.
1. at South Carolina.
2. Florida.
3. at Vanderbilt.
4. at Auburn.
5. Tennessee.
6. Texas.
7. at Georgia.
This story was originally published September 15, 2025 at 7:36 AM.