Mark Stoops explains his confidence in Cutter Boley at quarterback

Mark Stoops secured Kentucky‘s quarterback of the 2024 class back in May when he signed in-state recruit Cutter Boley. Transferring into one of Lexington’s premier programs for the 2022 season — he exploded onto the scene as an eventual four-star recruit.

In the weeks before his commitment, Boley’s recruitment would ramp up in the early portion of 2023 with programs like Tennessee, Michigan and Notre Dame all reaching out to obtain his services before Stoops locked down his state’s top-ranked recruit. With all of that attention, it’s hard to ignore someone right in your back yard, and Stoops explained the qualities that lured him toward Boley — and how that could translate in the SEC.

“Everything. I think with quarterbacks the physical attributes have to be there, right? You have to be able to have the ability to play at this level at the highest level and he clearly has that,” Stoops said on signing day. “And then with quarterbacks you look to the intangibles and he’s way above the norm there. He’s elite with the tangibles.

“His work ethic is likable, and what I mean about that is he can always round up guys who want to go work with him. They want to go throw. They want to do extra work.  Those are the intangibles, the leadership qualities that come very naturally to him.”

Boley played his high school football at Lexington Christian Academy — one of Lexington’s most successful programs at churning college football prospects. Most recently, Virginia running back Xavier Brown starred in a state title run for the Eagles. That was one year before Boley, however, and he kept the tradition alive with a stellar two-season career after transferring from Larue County.

In 2022, he completed 64 percent of his passes for 3,901 yards and 36 touchdowns. This past season, he followed it up with a 1,916-yard, 20-touchdown junior campaign including 123 rushing yards and five more touchdowns on the ground.

His career numbers have seen him combine for 7,970 passing yards and 78 touchdowns as well as 404 rushing yards, 17 more scores on the ground.

“[Boley] was a guy that we had targeted and recruited for years right here at LCA. What a great year he had,” Stoops continued. “What a great program, and we are proud to have Cutter be our high school quarterback and a guy that will come in, compete, he will develop, and we expect him to be a dynamic player.

“He’s a guy that has a contagious personality, works extremely hard, very likable, guys are attracted to him and helped us recruit players. Cutter was a very big get for us.”