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Kentucky football head coach Mark Stoops made a big move at quarterback ahead of the game against Louisville. The Wildcats have had a tough season, with Stoops fighting off retirement rumors throughout the year. The program will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2015. Much of these struggles are due to a lackluster offense. Georgia transfer QB Brock Vandagriff has been the starter for much of 2024, with freshman Cutter Boley as the backup.
According to Kentucky football beat writer for Ons3Sports Nick Roush, Mark Stoops has promoted Boley to starter before the Wildcats' last game of the season. The change comes for a program that looks towards an uncertain future in a stacked SEC conference.
Kentucky football has struggled in the expanded SEC
Mark Stoops has built a competitive football program over his twelve years in Lexington. The Wildcats have made eight straight bowl games and finished two seasons ranked during that period. With Brock Vandagriff coming in to take over the reins at quarterback, Kentucky football entered the season expecting to maintain its streak of bowl appearances. That expectation has not been met mainly due to offensive limitations.
The Wildcats rank last in the SEC in points scored per contest at 21.2. To highlight how low that average point total is, Oklahoma, which scores 25 points per game, comes in second-last place in the conference in this metric.
Unfortunately, Vandagriff has struggled as the starter in Lexington. The junior has thrown for ten touchdowns and eight interceptions with a QBR rating that ranks 71st in the country. These shortcomings are not just on Vadangriff, as he's been hit hard repeatedly this year due to issues on the offense line. Still, Stoops is clearly looking for a boost at this position heading into the Louisville game.
While the 4-7 record is disappointing, Kentucky football has faced an unrelenting schedule that ranks as the third-hardest in the country. The road has included matchups against Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennesee, and most recently Texas. Mark Stoops' team has been competitive in most of these games and even pulled the upset on then-No. 6 Ole Miss. However, losses to Vanderbilt, Auburn, and Florida have ultimately made the program's season unsuccessful.
Kentucky football has raised its floor over the past few years with its recruiting classes. Mark Stoops now consistently brings in top-25 classes and pulls in talented transfers like Vandagriff. As the fifth highest-paid coach in the SEC, more will be expected out of Stoops and this program in the future.
The good news is there's a chance that Cutter Boley will raise the Wildcats' ceiling over these next few years. The freshman out of Lexington is a 6'5, 215 pocket passer and a former four-star recruit. Boley has played in three games against Florida, Murray State, and Texas this year.
Against the Racers, the freshman completed ten out of 14 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He was put in late against Texas, completing ten out of 18 passes for 160 yards and an interception. The performance was enough to impress Stoops to make this change as he looks towards the future. Overall, Kentucky football is not in dire straights, but there will be a lot of questions surrounding this program, as the schedules should only get harder from now on.
