Cutter Boley now evaluating his options after Mark Stoops news; Matt Ponatoski won’t sign this week

While the Kentucky Wildcats search for their next head coach, they may need to search for a new starting quarterback as well.

In recent weeks, it became evident that Cutter Boley was set to return to UK for the 2026 season. However, that was the plan when Mark Stoops was still the head coach.

Now that Stoops is gone, Boley is reevaluating his options.

In an interview with John Brice of Football Scoop, Boley said he’s evaluating his options when it comes to where he’s playing college football next season.

“I think just moving forward, I’m trying to find the best place, wherever that may be, whether it’s here, or wherever I can kind of showcase what I can do in the best system for me,” Boley told Brice.

It’s very notable that Boley did this interview with a national outlet like Football Scoop, not local media. This tells every college program he’s open for business when it comes to the transfer portal, so you can bet Boley’s agent will be getting a lot of calls in the coming days and weeks before the portal officially opens on January 2.

Boley was absolutely planning to be back, and whoever the next head coach is will likely make a push to keep QB1 in Lexington. But it’s evident now that Boley will at least entertain other offers.

Elsewhere, current UK quarterback commit Matt Ponatoski is not planning to sign with Kentucky on Wednesday when the college football signing period begins. Instead, Ponatoski will sign during the February signing period, he told Keegan Pope of Rivals.

However, Ponatoski is still committed to Kentucky.

“I’m firm right now. Our family will see what happens with a new coach, hopefully soon. As far as right now, I’m staying firm with Kentucky. I feel like I saw it happening, but haven’t really talked to anybody yet. I’m sure they’re going through a lot right now,” Ponatoski told Pope.

Will Kentucky have one or both of these QBs when the 2026 season kicks off? We could be several weeks away from a decision being made, but look for the next head coach to make a serious push to get both back in the fold for next year.

Boley is a gem of a prospect and has just one full season of starting experience under his belt, while Ponatoski would be a great prospect to develop in the coming years. He’s also committed to play baseball, so this will be a big decision for Nick Mingione’s program as well.

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