Kentucky is finalist for blue-chip QB Matt Ponatoski

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Moeller Crusaders Matt Ponatoski (7) looks to throw in the first half of a second-round Division I OHSAA high school football game against the St. Xavier Bombers, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, at St. Xavier High School s RDI Field in Cincinnati. | © Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

Most of the quarterbacks in the 2026 high school recruiting class are off the board. Kentucky is in the mix for one of the top available options. Cincinnati (Ohio) Moeller quarterback Matt Ponatoski has trimmed his list of schools before a hectic summer begins for the four-star prospect.

The Cats are finalists for the state championship quarterback along with Alabama, Arkansas, and Oregon.

NEWS: Four-Star QB Matt Ponatoski is down to Alabama, Oregon, Arkansas, & Kentucky, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’2 195 QB from Cincinnati, OH is ranked as a Top 10 QB in ‘26 (per On3)

He’ll play baseball as well

Where Should He Go? ⬇️https://t.co/WvPHxrRu4L pic.twitter.com/bGHX56IGnx
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 2, 2025

Matt Ponatoski is the No. 282 overall player in the 2026 On3 Industry Ranking. Ponatoski is the No. 13 overall player in Ohio and the No. 20 overall quarterback. The quarterback led Moeller to a state championship as a junior in a year where he threw for over 4,000 yards and 56 touchdowns. That came shortly after a very impressive camp performance at Kroger Field in June. Ponatoski had been committed to Missouri for baseball before re-opening his recruitment.

The plan is for the star quarterback to also play baseball in college. Matt Ponatoski took an official visit for Kentucky baseball during the spring semester. During that trip, the dual-sport athlete made his way over to the Joe Craft Football Training Facility to visit head coach Mark Stoops and the Kentucky football program.

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Ponatoski has official visits to Alabama (June 6-8) and Oregon (June 20-22) sandwiched around a trip to Los Angeles for the Elite 11 finals later this month. Kentucky is also a contender for blue-chip quarterback Oscar Rios. The Southern California native — and former Purdue commit — will also be at the Elite 11 finals later this month.

Kentucky still needs to get a football official visit locked in with Matt Ponatoski, but the Cats are currently a legitimate contender in this recruitment.

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