Mark Stoops breaks down where Kentucky's quarterback room is with Zach Calzada, Cutter Boley

Kentucky has an open job at quarterback for next season coming into this spring. Whichever players win it though, between the transfer or redshirt freshman, will have to earn that role says Mark Stoops.

In an interview on Kentucky Sports Radio with Matt Jones on Tuesday, Stoops discussed the Wildcats’ projected quarterback battle between Zach Calzada and Cutter Boley. He said it remains open between the two of them coming into spring practice with both players taking snaps as QB1.

“I think you, you know – obviously, it’s an open competition,” Stoops said.

“Yes, (they are both taking starting reps). Yeah, definitely,” later said Stoops.

UK felt good about Boley, the former local four-star, coming out of his season as a true freshman. He made four appearances, with one start, as last fall behind Brock Vandagriff and Gavin Wimsatt and completed 49.1% of his throws for 338 yards, two touchdowns, and four picks. However, past him, the room didn’t have much returning this offseason.

“If you go to the quarterback position, you have Cutter coming back, who we have great faith in. But, you know, let’s be honest, that was the only one on campus,” said Stoops. “Beau Allen decided to come back. We love that, to have that depth and experience and a guy like that. But there wasn’t much on campus, right. We were bringing in two freshmen.”

That’s where Calzada, another quarterback out of the portal for the program, comes in as he returns to the SEC, where he started his career at Auburn and Texas A&M, after three seasons spent with Incarnate Word (66% completion for 288.3 ypg. with 54 touchdowns, 18 interceptions). Now, after two years playing in the FCS, Calzada will bring all those experiences with him to Lexington.

“You bring in Zach Calzada. He’s a sixth-year guy so I love that experience of that. Here’s a guy that has played a lot of football,” said Stoops. “You know, with Zach, you see a guy that has played a ton of football so I like that part of it.”

Regardless of who the quarterback is, though, Stoops said that starter will have taken that spot for themselves. It’ll be a result of what they do over the next few months to win it for his own.

“Getting back to, you know, what we opened with? You know, you have to, when you go through a year like that, you have to challenge every player and say you’re coming in here and you’re going to earn your position, right. No entitlement whatsoever. Everything is going to be earned, nothing is given and we have to get back to that. That’s the way it’s always been,” Stoops said. “Nobody is going to be given anything. They’d better go win the job.

“Right now, I want to make everybody earn it.”

Calzada and Boley will be the leading options to be Kentucky’s QB1 in 2025. They’ll be the biggest parts of an improved room from where it was by the end of last season according to Stoops.

“I just feel like, as a room..I think, as a room, I love it and I love the top two guys,” Stoops said.