Movement on the QB front for Kentucky.
The Kentucky Wildcats will likely add a veteran quarterback for the 2025 season. The question is, who will that be?
We finally got news of one who will visit this week. According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, Duke Blue Devils transfer quarterback Maalik Murphy is currently visiting Kentucky through Tuesday. He’ll have two seasons of eligibility remaining.
In addition, KSR’s Nick Roush reports that Incarnate Word quarterback Zach Calzada is someone Kentucky is targeting. Calzada just entered the portal, and no visit has been set up to Lexington yet. He’s got one season of eligibility left.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound Murphy was a class of 2022 recruit who signed with the Texas Longhorns. After redshirting, the California native completed 40/71 passes (56.3%) for 477 yards and three touchdowns vs. three picks in limited playing time in the 2023 season.
After transferring to Duke, Murphy became the starter this season, completing 254/421 (60.3%) for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns vs. 12 interceptions. He also ran for two scores while earning a 75.6 grade from Pro Football Focus.
As for Calzada, the former class of 2019 recruit signed with Texas A&M out of high school. After seeing limited snaps through his first two seasons, Calzada took over during the 2021 season for the Aggies, who finished 8-4 and had a home win over then-No. 1 Alabama. He completed 184/328 passes (56.1%) for 2,185 yards and 17 touchdowns vs. nine picks, earning an 80.3 PFF grade.
Calzada entered the transfer portal the following offseason, landed at Auburn, didn’t win the starting QB job, then entered the portal again in 2023 while undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. He landed at FCS program Incarnate Word, where he’s been the starter for the past two years.
This season, Calzada completed 343/524 passes (65.5%) for 3,744 yards and 35 touchdowns vs. nine interceptions. He also chipped in 105 runs for 332 yards and five touchdowns while earning a 75.0 PFF grade.
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