Quarterback Battle Continues During Fall Camp

Kentucky football’s fall camp continues and so does the battle to be the team’s starting quarterback.

Transfer Zach Calzada and redshirt freshman Cutter Boley have each had their moments during both the spring and the fall. Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan talked about the competition following Tuesday’s practice.

“(As far as the) evaluations, every day matters,” Hamdan said. “We all know that. We’re constantly evaluating these guys and their progression.”

Calzada is the more experienced quarterback, having spent time at Texas A&M, Auburn and Incarnate Word. Boley, who has more experience in Hamdan’s offense than Calzada, saw action late last season and showed some signs of his capabilities. Hamdan believes it’s a very unique situation.

“It’s an interesting situation because the more veteran guy just got here four or five months ago and the newcomer is in his second year. Both of them are going to have to win football games for us.”

On Saturday, Hamdan and the UK staff got to see both quarterbacks in real game situations as the Cats held their second scrimmage of the fall. He liked a lot of what both Boley and Calzada did.

“Certainly progress in certain situations,” Hamdan said. “I think the biggest thing is just that it was as real of a game atmosphere as we could put them in. From a quarterback perspective, the learning lesson of the night before, the morning before, getting yourself ready for the game. Never too high, never too low.”

On Tuesday, he spoke about each quarterback individually.

“Cutter’s doing a lot of really good things,” Hamdan said. “You see where he’s come from last year to this year, just his mental approach, how calm he is out there. He’s pushing the needle on this thing.”

And Calzada?

“Zach has done a really nice job as well,” Hamdan said. “We’re very fortunate to have both of those guys here.”

Last season, UK used started Brock Vandagriff and backup Gavin Wimsatt at times, attempting to compliment each other. Is there a chance that Kentucky could play two quarterbacks again this season?

“I don’t really think so,” Hamdan said. “I think some of (what happened last year) was a little bit more of the athletic factor that Gavin presented. I think we’re in a situation where we need to get the one guy as comfortable as you can get.”

With the season opener less than two weeks away, the quarterback battle continues at UK.