Should Kentucky start Cutter Boley over Zach Calzada at quarterback?

This offseason, there hasn't been a lot of conversation about the quarterback position for the Kentucky Wildcats. Mark Stoops brought in SEC veteran quarterback Zach Calzada, who spent last season at Incarnate Word. Calzada is paired with Cutter Boley, who is a sophomore signal caller for the Wildcats.

Calzada put up massive numbers at Incarnate Word last season after two previous stops in the SEC at Texas A&M and Auburn. Heading into the 2025 Kentucky football season, all signs point to Calzada being the guy for the Wildcats at QB, but is this the wrong move?

Calzada is currently playing his last season of college football, but all of the reports from practice have said that the gap between Calzada and Boley is not that wide. Coach Stoops is at an interesting time in his Kentucky tenure because the fans are starting to want a change at head coach.

Kentucky Wildcat quarterback Zach Calzada. Friday, August 1, 2025 | Michael Clevenger/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The schedule for the Wildcats is an absolute gauntlet, and knowing this, it will be really hard for Kentucky to make a bowl game. With this being the case, it seems to make sense to throw Boley out there to try and build some excitement for the future if he is able to turn heads.

Calzada is a solid quarterback and has won some big-time football games in the SEC, but knowing this is his last season, if the Wildcats are losing, it would make sense to hand the torch over to the young quarterback Boley so he can try and find his footing before the 2026 season.

More than likely, Coach Stoops is going to go with Calzada unless something crazy happens over the next few weeks, but if things start to go south, it shouldn't be any kind of surprise if the Wildcats switch over to Boley.

Nov 23, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Cutter Boley during the second half against the Texas Longhorns Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

This could be a similar situation to what happened at Florida last season with Billy Napier and DJ Lagway. It wasn't a perfect season for the Gators, but excitement was built for this upcoming season, which is why Napier still has his job.

Coach Stoops might want to look at his quarterback situation in this way. If the Cats go 5-7 but Boley shows some flashes of greatness, there will be a lot of excitement for the 2026 season.

Calzada will be the starter to begin the season, but making the move to Boley would be smart for Kentucky if they are not winning many football games.