Canadian QB Kentucky added to 2026 roster is ‘going to bet on himself’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kentucky added Canadian transfer quarterback Callum Wither to its roster.
- Wither completed 71.9% of passes for 3,124 yards, 29 TDs and eight interceptions.
- Wither will compete for the backup job behind Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.
The vast majority of Will Stein’s first Kentucky football roster has been set since the transfer portal window closed in January.
But maneuvering around the edges of the roster remains possible leading up to the start of preseason camp next month.
Kentucky has made a late addition to its quarterback room with a commitment from Canadian college star Callum Wither, according to his social media posts last week. Wither will transfer to UK from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.
“He’s the type of guy that’s going to bet on himself,” said Michael Faulds, Wither’s former coach at Laurier.
A native of Waterloo, Wither has actually spent most of his career playing in the American football system.
He spent part of his high school career in Buffalo, New York, and the rest at a Canadian prep school that plays all of its games in the United States. After graduating from high school, Wither signed with Ohio University, where he spent three seasons without appearing in a game.
Last year, Wither moved back to Waterloo, where his parents still lived, to play for Laurier.
In 10 games, Wither completed 71.9% of his passes for 3,124 yards, 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 135 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. The 6-foot-3, 213-pound quarterback was named to the Canadian equivalent of the first-team All-America squad.
Wither reportedly signed with Maryland as a transfer in March, but he flipped his commitment to Kentucky shortly after taking a visit to Lexington in June.
“An opportunity to compete for an SEC school, he was super excited by that,” Faulds said. “So he’s going to come in with a clear head and just try to rip it.”
Faulds, who left Laurier in January for Western University in Ontario, highlighted Wither’s accuracy as a strength but acknowledged there are significant differences between Canadian and American college football.
The field in Canada is both longer and wider. End zones in Canada are twice as large, and each team plays with 12 players on the field.
“Cal has played at least half of his football career with American-sized field, American rules, American everything, so it won’t be a crazy transition for him,” Faulds said. “Like over the last 10 years, just that one year with us last year at Wilfred Laurier would be that one transition.”
At Kentucky, Wither will compete for the backup job behind Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey.
Sophomore Brennen Ward left spring practice as the favorite for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Marshall transfer JacQai Long and Florida Atlantic transfer Carson Cruver were the other quarterbacks on the roster during spring practice.
Wither’s addition could be viewed as a hedge in case four-star high school signee Matt Ponatoski signs a professional baseball contract after this weekend’s draft. Even if Ponatoski does follow through on his plan to play both football and baseball at Kentucky, it might be unrealistic to expect him to contribute as a freshman after missing summer workouts while he focused on baseball.
Faulds was not surprised Wither picked a school where there was no obvious path to the field. After not playing in three years at Ohio, where he was behind San Francisco 49ers quarterback Kurtis Rourke for two years and then 11-game winner Parker Navarro in his final season, Wither arrived at Laurier last June with no guarantees either.
“Day 1 of training camp, I had him second on the depth chart,” Faulds said. “I wasn’t going to hand anything to him, despite having Division I experience. So, he’s willing to just be a team guy and to work, and to let his play do the talking.
“...That’s the mindset he’s going to have there. He’s not going to expect anything to be handed to him. He loves competition, but at the same time he’ll be great with the guys within the quarterback room. There will be no inner fighting or animosity. He’ll be a great teammate within that QB room, but on the field he’ll be an ultra competitor.”