The last time Will Stein spoke publicly to Kentucky football fans, Big Blue Nation wanted to hear his thoughts about Cutter Boley. As the new head coach sat at the Kroger Field podium on Monday, we were asking him about a different Kentucky quarterback.

On the day before the transfer portal opened, Cutter Boley announced he was leaving the program. The Hodgenville native broke a couple of UK freshman passing records after starting in 20 games in 2025. Many were optimistic to see what the future may hold with a QB developer as head coach, but as discussions progressed between the two parties, Boley ultimately decided to move on and transferred to Arizona State.

“Wish him nothing but the best, number one. Great person. Obviously, recruited him prior out to Oregon,” Stein said on Monday. “You know, there’s some things that are out of our control, and felt like we put a really good plan together in place, and it just didn’t work out. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

“I’m really excited about what he does at his next spot, his next venture, and I just think he’s a great person. Obviously, he’s a good player, but I know we’re excited about what we have here and what we have to offer our players. And then the players that we added, I think, are the guys that really bought into this university and are ready to make this place great.”

Kentucky acted quickly to find his replacement. The Wildcats hosted Sam Leavitt, the No. 1 player in the transfer portal, on the opening day of free agency. As Leavitt planned visits elsewhere, Kentucky pivoted.

The Wildcats quickly targeted Kenny Minchey. Even though he had committed to Nebraska, the former Notre Dame quarterback flipped to the Cats 24 hours later.

Minchey was a part of a contentious quarterback battle at Notre Dame with CJ Carr, ultimately losing at the wire. Even though he does not have a ton of reps on tape, Stein likes what he saw and heard about Minchey as a player and person.

“Extremely accurate. He’s got great athleticism. I think when you talk to him, when you guys meet him, he is a phenomenal person, very smart,” Stein said. “We did our background on him, everybody we talked to, even guys on that (Notre Dame) staff felt like they still would have won 10 games with Kenny out there playing quarterback. I talked to NFL scouts on him; feel like he’s got a really high upside in this game, and he’s somebody that I was really excited to get.”

Stein Likes Depth in QB Room

There was a time during this offseason when Kentucky only had one quarterback on the active roster. Like many other positions, Kentucky had to rebuild the room. It started with Minchey. Then the Cats grabbed a couple of other players to provide depth. The one player who is returning, Brennen Ward, only had six pass attempts as a true freshman, but Stein believes he has a bright future.

“I like Brennan a lot. I’m excited about Brennan. I’ve got to know him more and more, and just watching his tape from practice here last year, and watching his high school tape. He’s the son of a coach. I mean, he can really throw the rock. He’s got great intangibles, too. I think he’s a natural leader, a great communicator, so excited about him,” said the new Kentucky head coach.

“We had a JacQai (Long) from Marshall, who’s played and started games. Carson Cruver from FAU, and obviously, Matt Ponatoski. So I think the room’s competitive, which is fun, and guys that might not have a ton of experience, but I think the upside, the ceiling on these kids is really high.”

Stein recruited Ponatoski this summer at Oregon. Timing led the Ducks to take another quarterback, Bryson Beaver. That’s not an indictment on the talent Stein sees in Ponatoski. “He’s extremely accurate and throws the ball on time.”

Did You Know?

Kenny Minchey’s full name is Kennith Minchey Jr. Have you ever seen that name spelled that way? Me neither.

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