Kenny Minchey will be the signal caller for year one of the Will Stein era with the Kentucky Wildcats. Minchey, the transfer from Notre Dame, was in a quarterback battle all last offseason with CJ Carr to be the starter for the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman said it was one of the most difficult decisions of his career when letting Minchey know that Carr got the starting nod. Coach Stein mentioned he had talked to some coaches on Notre Dame’s staff, including offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, and they all felt that they would have had a similar outcome last season if it were Minchey instead of Carr.
Carr is now a favorite to win the Heisman trophy on multiple sports books and is poised for a massive season. If Minchey truly was that close to winning the job we should expect big things from him for the Wildcats this season. However, the real reason I believe Minchey is in for a breakout season is Coach Stein’s track record with quarterbacks. Coach Dan Casey recently ranked Stein as the second best play caller in the country, and noted that it is currently hard to find anyone better at developing quarterbacks than Coach Stein.
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Quarterback Success
Frank Harris, UTSA– 70% (career high)- 4,509 yards (career high)- 32 touchdowns (career high)
Bo Nix, Oregon– 77% (career high)- 4,508 yards (career high)- 45 touchdowns (career high)
Dillon Gabriel, Oregon– 73% (career high)- 3,857 yards (career high)- 30 touchdowns
Dante Moore, Oregon– 72% (career high)- 3,565 yards (career high)- 30 touchdown (career high)
Four quarterbacks in the last four seasons, all of which are different stylistically. All four found tremendous success under Coach Stein’s tutelage. Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel both were Heisman trophy finalists. Nix was a first round draft pick, Gabriel went in the third round and there is a large belief that Dante Moore would have been a top pick this season if he did not return to Oregon.
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In my opinion, Minchey’s game translates most to Moore; both guys throw with great touch from the pocket and can use their mobility to extend plays or pick up a first down if needed. Frank Harris and Gabriel were both more true dual threat type of quarterbacks. Nix obviously has ideal NFL tools in terms of arm strength and athleticism. Stein’s calling card is his ability to craft his offense around his quarterback’s strengths, instead of pigeon holing them into a set in stone scheme.
Kentucky Quarterback History
Kentucky has had some legendary college football quarterbacks throughout the years with guys like Tim Couch, Jared Lorenzen and Andre Woodson. However, over the Mark Stoops’ tenure, no quarterback threw for over 3,000 passing yards or 30 touchdowns. Kentucky has become far removed from the days of having a dangerous quarterback that can legitimately win games through the air. Only seven quarterbacks in Kentucky football history have thrown for over 3,000 yards in a single season with the last one being Mike Hartline in 2010, and only four times has a Kentucky quarterback thrown for 30-plus touchdown passes in a single season as both Couch and Woodson did it twice.
All of Coach Stein’s quarterbacks have completed 70 percent of their passes, thrown for over 3,500 yards and 30-plus touchdown passes. If this trend continues, Minchey could find himself in the Wildcats’ record books for single season passing statistics. In the modern era of college football, you have to be able to efficiently throw the football and that is something Kentucky has failed to do in recent years. It is critical that Coach Stein turns that around quickly, and with his expertise he has a phenomenal chance to do so in year one with Minchey at the helm.
This article originally appeared on UK Wildcats Wire: Kentucky football will get a big year from QB Kenny Minchey
