With the early National Signing Day for the class of 2024 being over, Kentucky’s newest signed quarterback Cutter Boley discusses why he committed to play at Kentucky.

“Just growing up in the state, you know, I’ve grown up a fan I feel like this is where my heart’s always been, and just the offense that Liam Coen runs and the job coach (Mark) Stoops does as head coach is phenomenal and I wouldn’t want to play for anybody else,” Boley tells Kentucky Insider.

Kentucky needed to get some quarterbacks after three players either graduated or transferred with Devin Leary graduating, Destin Wade transferring to Colorado, and Kaiya Sheron electing to transfer as well.

Kentucky was able to load up in the quarterback room by landing the Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff, Georgia Southern transfer Beau Allen, and then signing Boley in the class of 2024. Boley is ready to compete against them and he recognizes their talent.

“I couldn’t be any more excited to learn from them. They’re two really good quarterbacks, like I said, and they’ll have countless things to teach me from the places they’ve been and the offense that they’ve been in,” Boley tells us. “I just can’t wait to learn the things they know and just be able to work and get to work with them.”

One of the reasons why Boley committed to Kentucky is due to him having a connection since he has lived here his whole life.

“Just growing up in the state, you know, I’ve grown up a fan I feel like this is where my heart’s always been, and just the offense that Liam Coen runs and the job coach (Mark) Stoops does as head coach is phenomenal and I wouldn’t want to play for anybody else,” said Boley.

As for finally signing his National Letter of Intent, Boley feels relieved to have it finished.

“It’s definitely a relief to finally put the pen to paper and make it official,” said Boley. “It’s been a long time coming so I couldn’t be any more excited about my decision and where I’m going to be for the next four years.”

What Boley is most focused on is how the offense is run, as at this time he feels like his play style is made to play professionally.

“I’m really hoping to develop into that pro-style quarterback, but I feel like I’m definitely a pro-style quarterback right now, but really develop into just being able to play in that offense at a very high level and get really comfortable in the offense, and I just want to develop all parts of my game and really be a quarterback that the NFL looks for and that type of quarterback they want to have,” Boley tells us.

With Kentucky having a chance to develop within instead of the transfer route, fans will have a chance to see a quarterback finally develop into potentially starting in the future.

Wednesday was National Signing Day and Mark Stoops and the Kentucky football program were pleasantly surprised to land as much talent as they did, finishing 25th in the high school rankings and standing 7th in the transfer portal rankings. Between elite high school talent and highly sought-out transfers, UK got who they wanted and then some. Here’s a little bit about some of Kentucky’s top signees.

Georgia, QB Brock Vandagriff

Kentucky already got a look at Brock Vandagriff in Kentucky’s 51-13 loss to Georgia. The now redshirt junior threw for 46 yards and a touchdown, completing five out of seven passes against the Wildcats. According to folks close to the Bulldogs program, it was neck-and-neck for the starting job with Carson Beck this past season. Liam Coen got his guy.

Ohio State, RB Chip Trayanum

With 85 total reps this season as the Buckeyes’ backup back, Chip Trayanum ran for 373 yards and three touchdowns on the season. Kentucky has had a great lineage at the RB position (especially as of late), and the signing of Trayanum means that there’s a chance Kentucky adds to their list of great RBs.

Georgia, LB Jamon Dumas-Johnson

Having Brock Vandagriff has paid dividends in recruiting. All-American Jamon Dumas-Johnson joins Vandagriff on the move from Athens to Lexington. Dumas-Johnson’s 2023 season would end on November 4th as he broke his arm against Missouri. The senior finished this season with 34 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Westerville North HS (OH), Edge Brian Robinson

Brian Robinson has a chance at being an impact contributor immediately for Kentucky. With the departure of Keaten Wade, the four-star recruit will compete for snaps all season long. Robinson has a super high motor and elite hands on top of incredible strength. Just an absolute workhorse.

Lexington Christian Academy (KY), QB Cutter Boley

Cutter Boley will play backup to Brock Vandagriff while being mentored by Beau Allen. Boley has a lot of talent and experience around him as he develops. However, Boley is already a solid player at the QB spot. He knows when to make the right pass and seems to always be on the dot. Can’t ask more from a QB.

Corbin HS (KY), OLB Jacob Smith & DL Jerod Smith

The Smith twins are going to be superstars in the blue and white. If there are any people who were born and raised to play Kentucky football, it’s the Smith twins. Both players have high motors just like Robinson, but they have tremendous footwork as well. It’s clear that Mark Stoops has a certain mold of player he wants on his team. Big, shifty, and overpowering, and the Smith twins are just that.

Now two days after the the transfer portal has opened, the Kentucky Wildcats have had a dozen players enter. Two of those players are the Wade twins, Destin and Keaten, who committed to Kentucky as a three-star quarterback and 4-star edge in the 2022 class.

The Wade twin’s father, Steve Wade, recently spoke to Maurice Patton of the Main Street Muary, a local Newspaper in Maury County, Tennessee about his sons’ decision to enter the portal.

As for why? “They (Kentucky) didn’t keep their promises up there. We’re not going to go for that,” Steve said. “I’m mainly talking about Destin, not Keaten.”

Two seasons into each of their collegiate career, one was on a path to success, while the other was not, unfortunately.

Keaten Wade, listed as a 6-foot-5, 250-pound sophomore outside linebacker, collected a total of 51 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a pass deflection in two seasons as a promising piece on the Kentucky defense. Destin Wade (6-3, 223) appeared in just one game at quarterback during his time at Kentucky, going up against Iowa in the Music City Bowl. In the game, he was 16-30 for just 98 yards, threw two pick-sixes, and only advanced in Iowa territory twice on 13 drives, going as far as the 36-yard line.

“They (Kentucky) threw him in that bowl game and never did give him a chance to redeem himself, under circumstances that nobody could have really did anything with, Iowa being the No. 2, No. 3 defense in the country,” Steve said. “We were promised by (Kentucky offensive coordinator Liam) Coen that Destin ‘was too good an athlete to just be sitting on the bench’. We did our part, we trusted in Kentucky to do theirs.”

Bringing in NC State transfer Devin Leary this season, Steve claims that Destin could have been just as good if he was given an opportunity to compete.

“Destin could have been just as good as that quarterback (Leary) we had this year,” Steve Wade said. “There’s nothing any of those guys sitting in that quarterback room couldn’t have done (that Leary did). They didn’t give him an opportunity to even compete. So we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do. He’s got to get on the field somewhere.”

As far as Keaten, Steve was satisfied that he played, but not satisfied that he was not a starter. “They let Keaten play, but he still didn’t get the reps he should have gotten as being a starter,” Steve said.

One reason Steve gives as to why his sons didn’t play as much as they deserved was because of NIL, allowing “worthless” players to get more playing time just because they were paid.

“It makes it that much more difficult for kids that are on scholarship because they’re paying these other guys money to come in — They’re looking for those players to play,” he said. “The school’s going to play those guys, whether they’re worthless or not.

All the best to the Wade twins and their family, but this is simply some parental delusion as Steve Wade overestimates his sons’ talent.