It’s certainly been a whirlwind few days for the Kentucky football program. On Saturday, the Cats were shut out by Louisville in the battle for the Governor’s Cup. Two days later, Mark Stoops was let go after 13 years in Lexington. Not even 24 hours passed before Will Stein was named as the new head coach. All this happened before signing day. The new head man got his first great recruiting news as a top player remains in the fold. Let’s introduce you to him as Kentucky signs quarterback Matt Ponatoski.
Cats Keep Ohio Star
Beating Some Heavy Hitters
The Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller product had offers from over 20 schools before whittling his final list down to five. He chose the Cats over Alabama, Oregon, Arkansas, and the hometown Bearcats. However, he pledged to the Cats on July 6th.
Originally, Ponatoski planned to sign with Kentucky in February. However, when Stoops and his staff were let go, many wondered if he would reopen his recruitment. Fortunately for the BBN, that wasn’t the case.
The school considered the major competition to land him was Oregon. The reason was that Stein was familiar with him from recruiting him. Now with the former Duck offensive coordinator in Lexington, Ponatoski moved up the process.
Let’s work!!!! #BBN https://t.co/hiYg0IM3i6
— Matt Ponatoski (@mattponatoski) December 2, 2025
In fact, he plans to attend Stein’s introductory press conference on Wednesday.
Let’s now take a look at his stats as Kentucky signs quarterback Matt Ponatoski.
Big Time Numbers
The 6-foot-2, 190-pound signal caller from Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, is the 188th best player in the nation by the 247 Sports composite rankings. In addition, he’s the 13th-best quarterback in the nation and 10th-best player in Ohio.
During his senior season, he threw for 2,402 yards and 28 touchdowns, while recording only one interception. As a result, he’s a finalist for Mr. Football, a year after winning it as a junior. He also won the Gatorade Player Of The Year in 2024.
Not only is he a great football player, but he’s also really good on the diamond. In fact, Ponatoski also plans to play baseball at Kentucky. He’s an All-American shortstop and is one of the top 20 baseball recruits in the nation. In addition, he hit .467 and earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in baseball, along with his football ones.
How He Fits In
Currently, Kentucky has three other quarterbacks on the roster. That list, of course, is led by Cutter Boley, who said he would be back for 2026. However, that was before Stoops was fired. In addition, the Cats have freshmen Brennan Ward and Stone Saunders. Ward played in one game this year, while Saunders did not see action.
Of course, it’s possible that someone from Oregon, or a player Stein was recruiting, follows him to Lexington. A hot name on the rumor mill is Austin Novosad, who played in one game this year for the Ducks. That’s certainly something to watch going forward.
Thanks for checking out our recruiting profile as Kentucky signs quarterback Matt Ponatoski.
Main Photo: Tony Tribble for The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
