Since the end of the 2025 season, the Kentucky quarterback position has undergone quite the facelift. Former starter Cutter Boley is now at Arizona State. In addition, Zach Calzada and Beau Allen have used up their eligibility. As if that wasn’t enough, highly touted signal caller Stone Saunders is at San Diego State. As a result, new Wildcat coach Will Stein had to hit the transfer portal hard. That’s exactly what he did, picking up several players. However, none of them has a great deal of experience. Let’s introduce you to the newest Wildcats as we are examining Kentucky’s new quarterback room.
Lots of Potential – Limited Experience
Under Center
All signs point to Kenny Minchey being under center when the Cats host Youngstown State on September 5th. After missing out on Sam Leavitt, Stein quickly turned his attention towards the former Notre Dame signal caller.
During his three years in South Bend, Minchey played sparingly. During his freshman year, he completed both his pass attempts for 12 yards. The next season, he was ready to compete for the starting job, but coach Marcus Freeman brought in Riley Leonard of Duke, who won out. As a result, he threw only one pass in 2024, completing it for 4 yards.
Fast forward to this past year, and again, Minchey was in the race for the starting quarterback job. Ultimately, he lost out to CJ Carr. Minchey played in six games in 2025, completing 20 of 26 passes for 196 yards. In addition, he ran for another 84 and a touchdown.
Originally, he committed to Nebraska. However, Stein got him to flip to Kentucky the next day. 247 Sports ranks him as the 14th-best quarterback in the portal. He has two years of eligibility remaining.
Let’s look at two more Wildcat newcomers as we continue examining Kentucky’s new quarterback room.
Adding Depth
The lone holdover from the 2025 quarterback group is Brennen Ward. Coming out of high school, Ward was the 64th-best quarterback in the country. He appeared in one game last season, completing three of six passes for 25 yards in a 42-10 win over Tennessee Tech.
Stein added two more quarterbacks to help with depth for the 2026 season. The first is Marshall transfer JacQai Long. A redshirt sophomore, Long has three years of eligibility remaining. He appeared in five games last year for the Thundering Herd, completing six passes for 31 yards. In addition, he ran for 38 yards and a touchdown.
The Cats also added Carson Cruver. He played in two games in two years at Florida Atlantic. Cruver is listed as a preferred walk-on and has two years of eligibility remaining.
To wrap up examining Kentucky’s new quarterback room, let’s look at a highly touted incoming freshman.
Quarterback Of The Future?
One of the prized pieces of the incoming recruiting class is Matt Ponatoski. Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, Ponatoski is the 12th-best quarterback in the nation according to 247Sports. Originally picking Kentucky last summer, he was a huge win for the previous staff. One of the schools the Cats beat out for Ponatoski was Oregon.
Many wondered if he would reopen his recruitment after Mark Stoops was let go. However, much to the relief of the Big Blue Nation, Ponatoski not only reaffirmed his pledge to UK but also attended Stein’s introductory press conference.
During his senior season, he threw for 2,402 yards and 28 touchdowns, while recording only one interception. As a result, he was a finalist for Mr. Football, a year after winning it as a junior. He also won the Gatorade Player Of The Year in 2024.
Not only is he a great football player, but he’s also really good on the diamond. In fact, Ponatoski also plans to play baseball at Kentucky. He’s an All-American shortstop and is one of the top 20 baseball recruits in the nation. In addition, he earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in baseball. It’s possible he gets drafted in July’s Major League Baseball Draft. However, all signs currently point to him playing football for the Cats.
Final Thoughts
You have to go back to 2016 for the last time a high school player recruited by Kentucky began the season as a starting quarterback. Drew Barker was under center when the Cats lost at Southern Mississippi.
Since then, it’s been a steady stream of transfers helming the attack. Some worked out better than others. Stephen Johnson, Terry Wilson , and Will Levis helped usher in arguably the most successful stretch in Kentucky football history. Since then, others haven’t fared nearly as well.
With a new coach and system, a transfer leads the way again. Minchey is very talented, just unproven. The same can be said of the other quarterbacks. We’ll have to wait until September to see if it all pays off.
Thanks for examining Kentucky’s new quarterback room with us here at Last Word On College Football. We’ll be back next time, looking at the running backs. In addition, we’ve got an eye on February signing day.
Main Photo: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images