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Even though Zach Calzada will start vs. Toledo, Stoops is ‘quite confident’ in both quarterbacks

A week ago, Mark Stoops raised some eyebrows when he said Zach Calzada and Cutter Boley were still battling for the starting quarterback spot. This morning, Calzada was declared the winner for Saturday’s game vs. Toledo; however, Stoops said the buzz for Boley is legit, and Kentucky will need both signal-callers this season.

“The big thing is, it wasn’t what Zach wasn’t doing,” Stoops said during Monday’s press conference. “I think it was Cutter really playing well, in particular down the stretch of camp, I’d say, the last 10 days. And he just seemed so much more comfortable, so much more confident, and playing at a higher level.”

Since transferring in from Incarnate Word, Calzada was expected to be Kentucky’s starter. Now in his seventh (and final) season of eligibility, he brings a wealth of experience over three stops, two in the SEC (Texas A&M, Auburn). Last season, Calzada led Incarnate Word to the quarterfinals of the FCS playoffs and was named Southland Conference Player of the Year, completing 65% of his passes for 3,791 yards (No. 5 in FCS), 35 touchdowns (No. 2 in FCS), and 9 interceptions. Heading into a pivotal season, Kentucky needs that experience under center, but it also needs a proven backup waiting in the wings should trouble arise. Stoops believes Boley has taken a big step forward since being thrown into the fire when Brock Vandagriff got hurt last season.

“I think they were both playing good and we need that,” Stoops said of Boley and Calzada. “As you know, it’s a very difficult schedule we have in front of us, and we need all hands on deck, so I’m quite confident in both of those guys.”

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan has a history of rotating quarterbacks, but told reporters last week that won’t be the case this season with Calzada and Boley. That said, it sounds like fall camp showed there is minimal dropoff from one to the other.

“Cutter’s doing a lot of really good things,” Hamdan said last week. “To see where he’s come from last year to this year, with his mental approach to how calm he is out there, he is pushing the needle on this thing in a big way. Obviously, Zach (Calzada) is doing a really good job as well. We’re very fortunate to have both these guys here, and that’s the reality of the situation.”

After Kentucky’s first scrimmage of camp, Calzada told reporters he’s embracing the role of “game manager,” two words that are usually taboo when it comes to describing a quarterback. The seventh-year senior has shown multiple times during his career that he can take over a game (Texas A&M’s upset over No. 1 Alabama in 2021 comes immediately to mind), but Stoops said Calzada has done a good job of making the right plays instead of the big plays.

“I think he’s tried talking himself into that [role of ‘game manager’] because he likes to get the ball down the field and take some shots,” Stoops said. “I think that’s just through coaching, because when things are there, and checkdowns are there, and keeping the chains moving, those are things he has to do. He’s done a better job with that, so I think he’s probably alluding to that.”

We’ll see for ourselves soon enough. Kentucky kicks off the season vs. Toledo at 12:45 p.m. ET on Saturday (SEC Network).