Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops announced on Monday that true freshman Cutter Boley will be the starting quarterback for the Kentucky Wildcats in the Governor’s Cup matchup against Louisville on Saturday. Boley will take over for Brock Vandagriff, who had started every game this season up until now.
Vandagriff is a Georgia Bulldogs transfer. He transferred to Kentucky in Dec. 2023.
“Yes, (Cutter Boley) does get to start,” Stoops confirmed during his press conference earlier in the day. “I thought he handled himself very well. Once again, I thought he showed a lot of poise in the pocket, distributed the football well, had the vision to hit open receivers, and showed the arm strength to get the ball downfield. I saw a lot of good things from him, and he deserves this opportunity to start this week.”
Stoops’ decision is a tough blow to Vandagriff, who has led a struggling Kentucky offense this season. The Wildcats have not scored over 21 points against a Power Four opponent all season. Vandagriff has not passed for over 250 yards in any game all year.
The former Georgia quarterback has 1,593 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Vandagriff has a QBR of 56.7, which is No. 71 in the nation.
Boley has appeared in three games this season and has started the second halves of Kentucky’s last two games, against Murray State and Texas. So far, in limited action, he has completed 20 of 38 passes (52.6%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. However, in the last two games, he has improved significantly, completing 20 of 32 passes (62.5%) with both touchdowns and only one interception during those outings.
A native of Hodgenville, Kentucky, Boley played high school football at Lexington Christian Academy, just minutes away from Kroger Field. A four-star prospect, he was ranked No. 398 nationally in the 2024 recruiting class.
