Oregon’s loss to UCLA didn’t just sting in the standings. It may have also opened the door for another program in the race for one of the Ducks’ quarterback targets.
Four-star quarterback Josiah Boyd wasn’t at Autzen Stadium to see Oregon fall 17-15 to the Bruins, but he was watching another upset unfold in person. Boyd, a standout from Vista del Lago High in Moreno Valley, California, was inside Kroger Field in Lexington when Kentucky knocked off No.
10 LSU in overtime, 34-33. The visit clearly made its mark.
“Watching the game live was an incredible experience,” Boyd told Steve Wiltfong of On3/Rivals. “The atmosphere was something special. Being there in person and feeling that energy made the visit even better!”
Wiltfong also pointed to how strongly Kentucky is pushing for Boyd, with former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein at the center of that effort.
“No school is recruiting Boyd harder than Kentucky, led by the efforts of Stein who in addition to quickly turning the Wildcats around, has the clout of being Oregon’s former offensive coordinator and helping develop Heisman candidates under center there in addition to a lot of explosive plays,” Wiltfong wrote.
That connection matters because Oregon’s quarterback situation has shifted quickly. Backup Dylan Raiola earned praise after stepping in when Dante Moore suffered a scary concussion against then No.
13 USC and helping lead the Ducks to a 41-27 win on Sept. 26 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. But in the UCLA loss, Raiola was pulled immediately by coach Dan Lanning, and Brock Thomas didn’t provide much relief either, especially after a late center-to-quarterback exchange fumble.
Stein’s departure has clearly been felt in Eugene. He and defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi both landed their first head coaching jobs in college this past offseason, and Oregon’s offense under 2026 coordinator Drew Mehringer has produced uneven results since then.
That has some Ducks fans wondering whether Stein’s exit is part of the reason for the shaky quarterback play. Moore had already taken a loss to then-unranked Oklahoma State in Week 2, and both Raiola and Thomas struggled in the UCLA game.
Boyd may be seeing that contrast, too. Kentucky’s recent wins over Texas A&M and LSU have given Stein and the Wildcats a strong pitch, and Oregon appears to have real competition if it wants to land him.
In Other News...
Kentuckys New SEC FPI Spot Says Plenty After The LSU Win
ESPNs latest Football Power Index update offered another snapshot of where Kentucky sits in the SEC after the Week 6 slate, and it adds some context to what the Wildcats just did against LSU. The model, which factors in recent results and projects the rest of the season, places Kentucky in the middle of a crowded conference picture alongside a cluster of teams trying to sort out their identities as the year moves deeper into October.
The broader SEC rankings also show how tight the race remains beneath the leagues heavyweights, with programs like Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Auburn, South Carolina, Mississippi State, Florida, Texas A&M and Missouri all carrying their own FPI numbers and projected paths. For Kentucky, the update matters because it reinforces that the LSU win was more than just a good night in Lexington, even if the real test is how the Wildcats build on it from here. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky's Surprising Rise Faces Its Biggest Test Yet At Oklahoma
Kentuckys unexpected surge has carried it into October with real momentum, and the Wildcats have earned every bit of it. Under first-year head coach Will Stein, Kentucky has gone from a team trying to find its footing to one sitting at 5-1 overall and 3-1 in SEC play after back-to-back overtime wins against South Carolina and LSU, results that have changed the tone around the program in a hurry.
Now comes a different kind of challenge. Kentucky heads to Oklahoma on October 17 for the first conference meeting between the schools since the Sooners joined the SEC in 2024, and the timing could hardly be tougher, with Oklahoma fresh off an upset of then-No. 1 Texas in the Red River Rivalry and sitting at 3-2. For Kentucky, this is the kind of road test that can tell you whether the rise is real or still just the latest surprise in a long SEC season. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Fans May Have Just Seen A Program-Changing Night
For one night at Kroger Field, Kentucky football looked and felt like a program that had rediscovered its edge. The Wildcats knocked off No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime in front of a sellout crowd, and the setting only added to the moment, with a throwback uniform and a new team walkout ritual helping turn the evening into something bigger than a single upset.
The finish matched the atmosphere, with Kenny Mincheys two-point conversion delivering the winning play and setting off a celebration that spilled onto the field. The SEC later fined Kentucky $500,000 for the storming, a costly reminder of how rare and emotional the win felt for a fan base that has spent plenty of seasons waiting for a night like this. [Read more 🡒]