Fixing the offensive line is priority No. 1 for Kentucky in the transfer portal, but it’s far from the Wildcats’ only need in free agency. We’ve heard about a high-profile running back target and a few wide receiver visitors, but all was quiet on the quarterback front. That changed on Monday.

Mark Stoops believes in Cutter Boley long term but going into a season with only three freshmen in the quarterback room is not a good idea. The Kentucky head coach said at his Signing Day press conference that the Wildcats will pursue a quarterback in the transfer portal. Today we learned about two players who could fill that need.

Maalik Murphy

Maalik Murphy was a Top-200 talent who got passed over at Texas by Arch Manning. He started in two games for the Longhorns with Quinn Ewers sidelined by injury in 2023, completing 40-71 passes for 477 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions.

Without a viable future in Austin, Murphy made the move to Durham to kick-start the Manny Diaz tenure at Duke. With Murphy under center, Duke beat Florida State for the first time in school history and secured a big win on the road at NC State en route to a 9-3 record. It’s just the fourth 9-win season at Duke since 1941.

Murphy completed 60.3% of his passes for 2,933 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was not a running factor, but did punch it into the end zone for two scores. Ball security was an issue for Murphy. He led the ACC in interceptions with 12.

Zack Geoghegan confirmed reports that Murphy is expected to visit Kentucky today.

Zach Calzada

It’s a familiar name for SEC football fans. Zach Calzada‘s career began at Texas A&M. The redshirt freshman was called into action when Haynes King broke his leg in week two. He threw a game-winning touchdown against Colorado to build some early confidence. Within a few weeks, he was playing his best against the best. Calzada completed 21-31 passes for 285 yards and three touchdowns to help Texas A&M topple No. 1 Alabama, the final bright spot of the Jimbo Fisher era. Calzada completed just over 56% of his passes for 2,185 yards, 17 touchdowns,, and 9 interceptions.

Calzada transferred to Auburn for Bryan Harsin’s second and final season. The quarterback did not play before undergoing offseason shoulder surgery. That’s when Calzada hit the portal again, this time dropping down to the FCS ranks.

For the last two years, Calzada has been running and gunning at Incarnate Word. In 2023 he tallied 2,598 yards and 19 touchdowns. This fall he ranked second in the FCS in passing touchdowns (35) and passing yards (3,791) with nine interceptions. Incarnate Word’s season ended with a loss to San Diego State in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs.

Sources indicate that Calzada will be a transfer portal target for the Kentucky football program in the coming days and weeks. He officially entered the portal on Monday morning.

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