How Blue Chip Quarterbacks from Kentucky Fared in College

Thursday morning Cutter Boley will announce where he’ll play college football. He’s one of only a few quarterbacks from the state of Kentucky ranked among the top 300 recruits nationally.

For a certain generation of college football fans from the Commonwealth, the state consistently produced top-notch passers. They played a significant role in the success of the University of Kentucky and Louisville in the early 00s. However, in recent years quarterback play in the state has not been on the radar of the major recruiting services and high-profile college football programs.

Before Cutter Boley has a chance to test his chops against competition, let’s see how his predecessors in the Top 300 performed at the next level.

Gavin Wimsatt, 2021, No. 268, No. 27 QB

Kentucky was a significant player in Gavin Wimsatt’s recruitment when the Owensboro High School star made a shocking move. Shortly after the Red Devils beat rival Daviess County, he left school and enrolled at Rutgers to become immediately eligible for the 2021 season.

He only appeared in four games as a true freshman. Last fall he saw action in eight games, completing 44.8% of his passes for 757 yards, 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. There was a ton of hype surrounding Greg Schiano’s program following the high-profile, midseason addition. The production has not yet matched the hype. It feels like a make-or-break year for Wimsatt this fall in Piscataway.

Drew Barker, 2014, No. 105, No. 10 QB

Of all the big early recruiting wins of the Mark Stoops era, this was the biggest. The Elite 11 QB picked Kentucky over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, helping the new UK coaching staff compile the highest-ranked recruiting class in school history on the heels of a 2-win season.

Barker received some significant snaps near the end of Patrick Towles’ tenure before he was handed the reins ahead of the 2016 season. In his debut he threw four touchdowns, three of 40+ yards, in the first half to build up a 28-7 lead. The Cats led 35-10 before Southern Miss mounted a miraculous comeback to defeat Kentucky 44-35 at Kroger Field. Barker only played a few snaps the following week before suffering a season-ending back injury that ultimately ended his career.

Brian Brohm, 2004, No. 60, No. 7 QB

Brohm was already a household name when the Trinity QB appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a junior. Despite ties to the school on Floyd Street, Joker Phillips pulled out all of the stops to get Brohm in blue and white. He ultimately chose UofL over the Cats, Notre Dame and Tennessee.

Brohm threw for just shy of 6,000 yards, 35 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions in two years under Bobby Petrino (1.0). The Cards were ranked as high as No. 2 in the BCS rankings when they fell to Rutgers, ultimately ending the season with a Big East title and Orange Bowl victory. His decided to stick around for Steve Kragthorpe and things quickly unraveled after Stevie Got Loose and UofL finished 6-6. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Andre Woodson, 2003, Four-Star

Finding recruiting rankings from the early internet era is tricky, but Andre Woodson was a highly-sought after four-star talent in 2003. The North Hardin passer was ranked only behind Michael Bush in the state of Kentucky.

Woodson was a slow-cooker, but ultimately developed into one of the program’s top passers. In his first season of significant snaps, he struggled during the Wildcats’ 3-8 campaign. The following year he helped orchestrate an upset of Georgia at home that paved the way for UK’s first bowl berth since 1999. He set the NCAA record for consecutive pass attempts without an interception. In 2007 he became a dark horse Heisman candidate that included wins over Louisville, No. 1 LSU and a visit from College GameDay.

He finished his career with 9,360 passing yards, 79 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. The New York Giants selected Woodson in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Other Noteworthy Quarterbacks from Kentucky

Beau Allen, 2020

A four-star in some services at the time of his commitment, by signing day he was a mid-level three-star talent ranked just inside the Top 500 overall. The addition of Allen in May gave the Cats’ significant momentum to secure signatures from Justin Rogers and a bevy other four-star talents.

Allen appeared in five games over two seasons at Kentucky. Just before the start of fall camp in 2022, he transferred to Tarleton State. Allen had five 300-yard passing games and led the WAC in touchdowns (23) and passing yards (2,838) before hitting the portal again and landing at Georgia Southern.

Tanner Morgan, 2017

The Ryle pocket-passer was a low three-star prospect, ranked as the No. 6 player in the state following his senior campaign. He did not play like it at Minnesota, tossing for over 1,300 yards in each of his five seasons. Morgan’s best year was in 2019 when he threw for 3,253 yards (10.1 yards per attempt), 30 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, propelling the Gophers to an 11-2 record and a Top 10 ranking in the final AP Poll.

Elijah Sindelar, 2015

Unlike Morgan, he could not bring home a Big Ten West title, but Sindelar did put up some serious numbers in Jeff Brohm’s offense. The former three-star prospect from Caldwell County threw for 2,099 yards, 18 touchdowns and 7 interceptions in 2017, helping Purdue reach a bowl game in Brohm’s first season. Unfortunately, injuries limited Sindelar through the next two seasons, which ultimately led him to hang up his pads earlier than expected.

Logan Woodside, 2013

Ryan Timmons was a four-star, top 300 talent, but his quarterback at Franklin County might have had the most productive collegiate career of any in-state recruits from the class of 2013. Logan Woodside ended his career with Toledo’s career record for passing yards (10,514), touchdowns (93) and passing efficiency (162.87). In his senior season he was named MAC Offensive Player of the Year and propelled the Rockets to a MAC Championship. He was picked in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Patrick Towles, 2012

The closest to making the cut, Patrick Towles was the No. 360 player in his recruiting class after bringing Mr. Football honors back to Ft. Thomas Highlands in 2011. One of the few holdovers from the Joker Phillips era, he assumed the starting quarterback role for Neal Brown in 2014. The results were not jaw-dropping, but he was solid, throwing for 2,718 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while rushing for six more scores.

Despite decent production, Kentucky’s 5-1 start turned into a 5-7 finish. Similar results followed in 2015, which led to louder calls for Drew Barker to replace Towles, which eventually happened in a devastating loss at Vanderbilt that cost the Cats a chance at a bowl game. Towles transferred to Boston College after the season. Statistically, it was the worst year of his career, but he led the Golden Eagles to a 7-6 record with a win over Maryland in the Quick Lane Bowl.