KSR Today: Zach Calzada is QB1 as Kentucky prepares for Week 1 vs. Toledo

Good morning, folks! And Happy First Day of School for those attending UK. Kentucky football plays a game later this week, and we have some important news to get us going: Zach Calzada has been named the Wildcats’ starting quarterback for Saturday’s opener against Toledo. ESPN’s Pete Thamel broke the news first thing Monday morning.

This doesn’t come as a huge shock to the Big Blue Nation. Calzada was brought to Kentucky with every intention of taking over as the starting quarterback for 2025. Redshirt freshman QB Cutter Boley had an inspiring offseason, which created a bigger offseason battle than perhaps anticipated. Thamel even noted in his posts on social media that Boley “impressed with his play down the stretch of camp.” But Mark Stoops is rolling with the veteran Calzada to get the season rolling.

And there is reason to believe Calzada will win Kentucky football games this year. The 24-year-old had success at Texas A&M, even powering the Aggies to a win over No. 1 Alabama in 2021. Injuries did him no favors though, eventually leading him to land at Incarnate Word, where he started all 14 games in 2024 and made the FCS Playoffs. Calzada passed for 3,791 yards and 35 touchdowns on his way to being named Southland Conference Player of the Year.

Stoops is set to talk with the media this afternoon to preview Saturday’s opener. Tonight is also the first UK HealthCare Mark Stoops Call-In Show (6-7 p.m. ET) of the season. Calzada being named QB1 will surely be a topic of discussion. As always, we’ll have everything Stoops says on the website and the KSR YouTube channel as soon as possible.

While we wait, let’s dive into the rest of this morning’s news and notes.

Kentucky soccer programs are making noise

Both the Kentucky men’s and women’s soccer teams have yet to lose a game early into the 2025 season. The women moved to 4-0-0 on Sunday with another shutout, their third of the year so far, taking down Detroit Mercy 2-0 in Lexington. The men’s side will look to stay perfect later today as the Wildcats (1-0-0) host Bellarmine at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+) at the Bell Soccer Complex. Kentucky is coming off a 2-1 upset road win over No. 20 Western Michigan in the season-opener.

Admission for tonight’s game is free if you want to make it out. UK is calling for a Blue Out Night at The Bell.

Check out Rhoback’s Kentucky Game Day collection. New customers use code KSR for 20% off.Interested in having your brand featured alongside KSR’s postseason coverage? It’s not too late! Email [email protected] to request more information.

Some KSR podcasting news

A couple of quick notes related to a pair of KSR podcasts.

• The new-look KSR Football Podcast will get rolling this afternoon and continue every Monday throughout the season. Joining the three-man crew of Drew Franklin, Nick Roush, and Adam Luckett this year will be Van Hiles, who played for the Wildcats in the mid-90s. You might know Van from social media — the in-depth cut-ups of Kentucky football games he shares online are some of the best out there for the fan base to consume.
• With the KSR Football Podcast moving to Mondays, that means the KSR Happy Hour is shifting to Thursdays at 4:00 p.m. ET. That feels more appropriate, anyway.

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Kentucky MBB wraps up team retreat

Mark Pope and the Kentucky men’s basketball Wildcats spent the weekend in eastern Kentucky. They began their in-state journey at Natural Bridge and Red River Gorge on Friday, which of course had to include a stop at Miguel’s Pizza. After that, they popped into Hazard at the ARH Cancer Center to hand out goods and interact with patients before showing up at Perry County Park to meet with fans. Saturday was spent on the water and on the pickleball court at Laurel Lake in Corbin.

Looks like a perfect weekend in the Bluegrass to me.

[Kentucky Wildcats head to Corbin to play pickleball and ride jet skis]

UKFB promotions for 2025 season

The seven Kentucky football home games this season will include seven different days of fan promotions. It starts right away with Toledo in the season opener on August 30, the football program honoring Lexington’s 250th anniversary with $25 tickets for 250Lex Day. For more information on promotions and individual registration, click here. Mark your calendars accordingly.

A couple of NFL Cats on the move

With the NFL season approaching, teams are making some last-minute moves ahead of opening week.

Offensive lineman Darrian Kinnard has been traded from the Eagles to the Packers in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. Although Kinnard has only appeared in three career games across his three-year career, he has just as many Super Bowl rings. He won titles in 2023 and 2024 with the Chiefs and then again in 2025 with the Eagles. The pressure is now on the Packers to win it all this season.

Elsewhere, Jamin Davis, who has had a productive NFL career, is struggling to keep it going. A former first-round pick and Defensive Rookie of the Year, Davis was released by the Jets on Sunday after playing for four teams in 2024. He’s registered 287 total tackles (178 solo), eight sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and six PBUs in his career, but will now be looking for another new home.

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