4-star QB Matt Ponatoski reverses course, signs with UK after Will Stein hiring
The first day of the December signing period for high school football prospects will be better known as the day Will Stein was officially introduced as Kentucky’s new coach than for the holdovers from Mark Stoops’ 2026 recruiting class signing.
But Stein did at least kick off the day with a recruiting win.
Four-star quarterback Matt Ponatoski, who committed to Kentucky in July but said in multiple interviews after Stoops was fired that he had always planned to wait until February to sign, was actually the first high school player to sign with the Wildcats on Wednesday. Now, the question remains whether Ponatoski makes it to campus because of his baseball career.
The two finalists in Ponatoski’s recruitment were Kentucky and Oregon, where Stein was previous offensive coordinator and Ponatoski’s primary recruiter. The Cincinnati Moeller star picked the Wildcats in large part due to the chance to play both football and baseball in the Southeastern Conference.
But Ponatoski’s baseball star has risen to the point where there is no guarantee he even makes it to Kentucky.
Baseball America ranks him as the No. 15 high school prospect for the 2026 MLB draft. He pitches and hits in high school but is projected as a shortstop as a professional baseball player.
When Kentucky hired Stein, Ponatoski quickly reversed course with his signing plan, signalling he would sign with the Wildcats this week, just hours after Stein’s hiring was made official on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning, he was the first high school signee announced by the program at 7:32 a.m.
As a senior at Moeller, Ponatoski completed 66.1% of his passes for 2,395 yards, 28 touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed for 214 yards and one touchdown. Ponatoski won the pro day competition at last summer’s Elite 11 camp and was named to the 12-man finalist list as one of the top quarterback recruits in the country.
Kentucky did pick up one signing day commitment from Northwest Community College offensive lineman Jordan Knox, who was recruited to UK by the previous staff. Knox, a four-star prospect in high school according to 247Sports, began his career at Northwestern, playing in 10 games there with three starts in 2023. He played both guard and both tackle positions at Northwestern and also lined up as a blocking tight end in big sets.
Here is a list of the other recruits expected to sign with Kentucky Wednesday.
This story was originally published December 3, 2025 at 11:22 AM.