Kentucky's 2024 class just outside Top 25 following Cutter Boley's commitment

Coming into today, Kentucky’s 2024 class had only two commitments, offensive linemen Aba Selm and Hayes Johnson. Following four-star quarterback Cutter Boley‘s commitment and reclassification, Kentucky’s 2024 class is up to No. 26 in the On3 Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

No. 26 may not sound that impressive — it’s 11th in the SEC — but it’s worth noting that Kentucky’s class is extremely small compared to the teams ahead of it. The Cats have the fewest commitments (three) of any team in the 2024 On3 Top 30. Tennessee, also a finalist for Boley, has 11 commitments already. Boley, who will enroll in January, is ready to add some more players to the 2024 haul, starting with some fellow-in state stars.

“There’s definitely a few guys in the state, a couple that I’ve been texting,” he told KSR. “I’m calling out [Covington Catholic TE] Willie Rodriguez, I’m going to get him. He’s a big cat.”

Boley said he has his eye on a few players from Boyle County and will keep his eyes peeled for more in-state prospects during football season. Interestingly, Frederick Douglass IOL Demeco Kennedy and CB Jeremiah Lowe were at his announcement today.

“I love those guys, those are my boys,” Boley said of Kennedy and Lowe. “I’ll definitely be recruiting them to come to UK for sure.”

Rodriguez (No. 8), Kennedy (No. 5), and Lowe (No. 9) all rank in the top ten of the 2024 On3 Industry Rankings in the state of Kentucky. Current pledges Aba Selm is No. 2 and Hayes Johnson No. 7. In the top ten, only North Hardin WR Shaun Boykins (No. 6) is committed elsewhere (Louisville). As the face of the class, Boley will go after big prospects nationwide, but it’s a great sign that he’s starting by trying to keep the best in the Bluegrass home with him.

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Charles Power’s Scouting Report on Cutter Boley

After Boley announced he is reclassifying, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power moved him to No. 70 overall and the No. 6 quarterback in On300 2024. Here’s his scouting report, which notes that Boley was initially a 2024 prospect before reclassifying to 2025 earlier in his high school career.

Cutter Boley provides an injection of arm talent into Kentucky’s quarterback room. He’s a big strong-armed passer who is the odds on favorite as the Wildcats’ quarterback of the future after transfer Devin Leary exhausts his eligibility.

At 6-foot-5 and over 200 pounds, Boley has a big, prototypical frame. He has very large hands that have measured around 10.25 inches. When evaluating the 2025 quarterbacks, we felt that the ball came out of Boley’s hand as well as any passer within that group. That assessment doesn’t change too much when projecting him into the 2024 cycle.

Boley has notable arm talent. He is capable of standing in the pocket and driving the ball downfield and out to the boundary with ease. We also see him show the ability to layer and locate his throws. Boley looks to be a good fit in Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam Cohen’s scheme. We see him connect on similar concepts the Wildcats run and the ability to make throws on the run and off of play action should translate well.

The new Kentucky commit completed 63.5% of his passes for 3,901 yards and 36 touchdowns against 15 interceptions while leading Lexington Christian to the state semifinals in 2022. With this fall serving has his de facto senior season, we’ll be looking for continued progression from his play on Friday nights – as is the case with all 2024 quarterbacks.

It’s also worth noting that recent history suggests reclassifying, particularly as a quarterback, can be a dicey proposition. There are not a ton of success stories and everything we know about development at the position suggests that in-game reps on Friday nights are critical to development prior to advancing to college football. At the minimum, forgoing a year of experience doesn’t do any favors from a developmental perspective. Every situation is different, but the spotty track record of reclassifications is something to consider.

Boley’s situation is not as extreme as some of the other notable reclassification jumps. He was initially a 2024 prospect before reclassifying to 2025 earlier in his high school career. Boley was older for the class as a 2025 prospect and is the same age as most 2024 quarterbacks. He has another season of high school football and could be in line to play early in his career at Kentucky. We should have a better picture of how Boley stacks up within the 2024 quarterback group as we progress through the evaluation process.