Kentucky football in 2025 has been a season to forget, but if you have stuck around long enough, you can’t deny the offensive nucleus being built in-front of your eyes.
One of the more unfortunate parts of this season is that Kentucky is not a bad team from top to bottom, but even the littlest of leaks turn into floods when the lights get bright.
Those types of things have resulted in a 2-5 overall record and an 0-5 record in the SEC.
Naturally, when things have gone as south as they have in Lexington, many are calling for various coaches’ jobs including the man at the top, Mark Stoops.
This has led to a lot of uncertainty and uneasiness around what’s next for this program, but one thing that cannot be denied is that the quarterback position is in good hands.
Cutter Boley started this season on the bench behind seventh-year man Zach Calzada but found himself under center in the fourth quarter of a one score game against Ole Miss after Calzada went down with an injury.
The redshirt freshman has played every offensive snap since that moment and has developed rapidly through this gauntlet of a schedule.
After a blowout win against Eastern Michigan, Boley saw his first true test on the road against South Carolina.
The offense came out swinging and had what still might be its best start to a game yet, but then it all went downhill when the second quarter came around as Boley threw two picks and fumbled.
Turning the page to the next week, Boley found himself facing another tall task on the road against the Georgia Bulldogs and it was a struggle to get things going, but Boley still finished with 225 yards and two scores.
After a bye week, Boley returned home and turned in the best performance of his young career against Texas. If you just look at the stats, his 258 yards through the air, 45 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown don’t appear all that eye-popping, but it’s what you can’t see that stuck out above all.
Boley showed a relentless ability to never give up on a play or the ballgame, and that is a defining characteristic of a quarterback that can lead a program.
On the ensuing offensive drive after his rushing TD tied the game 10-10 in the fourth, Boley broke off another scramble trying to get to the sticks on third down and was short but did not get back up.
This sucked all the energy out of an electric crowd, but they roared when he hopped back up to his feet and to the sideline.
Boley returned to the field and two drives later was tasked with getting his team into field goal range in 51 seconds to avoid defeat.
He did just that as the game went into overtime where Kentucky came up short and fell 16-13.
“The two things I go back there with him is, number one, the toughness that continues to be displayed, and number two is just his ability to not be on the roller coaster,” Offensive Coordinator Bush Hamdan said. “I think he’s kind of going out there, he’s making improvements, he’s going to work week in and week out, and he’s getting better.”
Just seven nights later, another shade of orange packed into Kroger Field as Tennessee came to town and Boley had to deliver another mega performance to keep the prolific Vols offense at bay.
The youngster did just that has he threw for 330 yards and five touchdowns.
Boley added to the record books against Tennessee as he broke the program record for the most touchdowns thrown by a freshman and became the first UK quarterback to throw for five touchdowns in a game since Andre Woodson in 2007.
“That’s a blessing for sure,” Boley said. “Growing up watching all these guys, and even before I was born, watching some guys ball out, it’s an extreme honor to be able to start in this position and represent the state.”
Now, Boley has certainly had some “freshman moments” with some costly turnovers, but his lightning-fast development has been one of the brightest spots of the 2025 season.
These types of things are going to happen, especially given the fact that he did not get the majority of starting reps until week three of the regular season and has only started in four SEC games.
Big Blue Nation expected Boley to be the answer at quarterback, and there’s no doubt he’s proved to be just that.
While having a good young quarterback is great, having young receivers to pair with him is even better, and that’s just what Kentucky has with the duo of DJ Miller and Hardley Gilmore IV.
Miller was sidelined with an injury for the early part of the season but has emerged in a big way in the past two weeks.
The true freshman caught his first two passes in college in the loss against Texas, which set the stage for a breakout game against Tennessee.
In that game, Miller and Boley connected five times for a team-high total of 120 yards and two touchdowns.
“We knew he was a baller since he came in,” Boley said. “He’s a young guy, so getting him in there last week, and getting him some reps, getting him some catches, and this week, he’s just, he’s starting to play really free, and I’m super proud of that guy and the work he’s put in.”
Gilmore IV has shown various flashes this season after returning to Kentucky in 2025 and continues to pile on the young core being built on the offensive side of the ball.
One of the most important elements of these young receivers’ development is the leadership of the veterans in the room with them, which seems to be a staple of the pass-catching group on this team.
“Leadership, just showing us the way, Ja’Mori (Maclin) from St. Louis, I’m from St. Louis, like we from the same area, so him just showing me the way,” Miller said. K-Law (Kendrick Law), same thing, just showing us the way, like how to do certain things, how to get certain DBS, showing us how to play, get better receiving.
Many people have already waved the white flag on Kentucky football in 2025 and it’s absolutely deserved, but this young core being built in Lexington could lead to a quicker turnaround than expected.
However, the biggest threat to this young core is the transfer portal and NIL luring them to different schools after an unsuccessful season.
This is where it becomes paramount for whoever the head coach is in 2026 to keep this trio together and most importantly keep Boley where he belongs, in Kentucky blue and white.
