LEXINGTON, Ky. — Assuming good health, we know who Kentucky’s starting quarterback will be when the Wildcats kick off the Will Stein coaching era against Youngstown State on Sept. 5.
Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey gets glowing reviews from UK’s new head coach.
“Tangibles, he’s really accurate. He throws on time. He’s got great feet, and he’s mobile. I think those are critical factors in successful quarterbacks in today’s modern football,” Stein said. “Intangibles, (Minchey) loves the game, (has) high football IQ, (is a) great leader. So I’m excited about Kenny.”
When it comes to the QBs that UK will play against in 2026, it looks to be a good news/bad news scenario for the Wildcats.
On the plus side, Kentucky will face only five teams that have their starting quarterback back from 2025 — and only three of those are power-conference foes.
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As for the debit ledger, new UK defensive coordinator Jay Bateman and his unit will face four QBs who enter 2026 seen as viable Heisman Trophy candidates.
Over a five-game stretch from Sept. 19 through Oct. 17, UK will go against Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed Jr., South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers Jr., LSU’s Sam Leavitt and Oklahoma’s John Mateer.
In order, those are NCAA.com’s ninth, 24th, sixth and seventh-favorites to win the 2026 Heisman.
As the college football season nears, let’s review the quarterbacks that Kentucky will face in 2026:
— Youngstown State. Returning Penguins QB Beau Brungard won the Walter Payton Award last season signifying the best offensive player in the FCS. A dual threat who ran for 27 touchdowns and threw for 26 scores in 2025, Brungard’s presence makes Youngstown State a tricky opener for UK.
— Alabama. Among UK’s first seven opponents, Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide are the only team that will not start an experienced quarterback. In the Bama QB battle, senior Austin Mack, who followed DeBoer’s coaching staff to Tuscaloosa from Washington, is seen as the steady option. Sophomore Keelon Russell is viewed as the “high-upside” candidate.
— Texas A&M. Marcel Reed Jr. threw for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns while leading the Aggies to the College Football Playoff last season. The 6-1, 185-pound senior from Nashville can also hurt teams with his legs, as he ran for 493 yards and six TDs in 2025.
— South Alabama. Bishop Davenport inherited the starting QB job for coach Major Applewhite’s Jaguars last season after Gio Lopez made a portal exit to North Carolina. Though South Alabama endured a 4-8 slog, the 6-2, 210-pound Davenport put up decent numbers, completing 68% of his passes while throwing for 12 touchdowns and running for nine.
— South Carolina. The Gamecocks are 3-0 vs. Kentucky in games in which Sellers has played. Overall against the Cats, the 6-3, 238-pound junior has completed 21 of 28 passes for 319 yards with two TDs vs. one pick.
— LSU. Once Stein became Kentucky coach, former Arizona State star Sam Leavitt was the initial focus of UK’s portal recruiting efforts. That didn’t lead to an agreement, but the 6-2, 216-pound Leavitt will nevertheless be playing at Kroger Field this season; it will just be for new LSU head man Lane Kiffin.
— Oklahoma. John Mateer’s 2025 Heisman Trophy bid was sabotaged by a broken bone in his right (throwing) hand last Sept. 20 against Auburn. Prior to the injury, Mateer completed 67.4% of his throws and threw for six touchdowns vs. three interceptions. After the injury, he completed 59.4% of his throws with eight TDs vs. eight picks.
— Vanderbilt. Vandy coach Clark Lea is conducting a battle to replace the brash and bold Diego Pavia. The competition is between the alliterative senior, Blaze Berlowitz, and five-star recruit Jared Curtis — a freshman who reneged on a recruiting commitment to Georgia to pick the Commodores.
— Tennessee. Josh Heupel’s Volunteers are going to start a freshman quarterback in 2026. Still to be determined is whether that will be redshirt frosh George MacIntyre or true freshman Faizon Brandon, a five-star prospect.
— Florida. Old friend Jon Sumrall hired well-regarded Georgia Tech offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner to run the Gators’ attack. The new Florida coaching staff is choosing between Tech transfer Aaron Philo and holdover Tramell Jones Jr. to be the Gators’ starting QB.
— Missouri. Last season, Austin Simmons made his first college road start for Ole Miss at Kroger Field. UK intercepted the young quarterback twice and built a 10-0 lead before Simmons rallied the Rebels to a 30-23 win. However, an ankle injury Simmons suffered in Lexington opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss to claim the Mississippi starting QB job. Taking to the portal, Simmons stayed in the SEC and is expected to start for Mizzou.
— Louisville. Just as Kentucky chose Notre Dame’s backup quarterback, Minchey, to build around, Louisville tabbed Ohio State backup Lincoln Kienholz to be its No. 1 QB. This season’s battle for the Governor’s Cup will provide a window on whether U of L’s Jeff Brohm or UK’s Stein did better with their 2026 QB evaluation in the portal.
