Will Stein’s first real quarterback win at Kentucky may have come before Sam Leavitt ever said yes.
Leavitt, the top-ranked quarterback in the transfer portal, made Kentucky his first visit after the portal opened Jan. 2.
He flew to Lexington, spent more than a day with Stein and UK offensive coordinator Joe Sloan, and left without committing. Tennessee and Miami came next, and it quickly became clear Leavitt was waiting to see what new LSU coach Lane Kiffin would do in the quarterback market.
While that played out, Stein and his staff moved fast and flipped former Notre Dame quarterback Kenny Minchey from his Nebraska commitment Jan. 5.
Nine months later, the two quarterbacks will meet Saturday when Kentucky hosts No. 10 LSU in a Homecoming matchup. It’s not a clean head-to-head comparison, because they’ll be playing against different defenses, but the early returns make one thing obvious: Kentucky did not simply settle when Leavitt went another direction.
Through five games, Minchey has actually outperformed Leavitt in several key areas. Minchey’s quarterback rating sits at 160.4, ahead of Leavitt’s 148.9.
He has completed 68.3% of his passes, compared with Leavitt’s 66.2%. Minchey has thrown 11 touchdowns and only one interception.
Leavitt has eight touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Leavitt has been the more dangerous runner by a wide margin, piling up 220 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Minchey has minus-1 rushing yard this season, though he did pick up four first downs with his legs in Kentucky’s comeback win at South Carolina last Saturday.
The two have both flashed against Texas A&M. Minchey was sharp in UK’s 31-21 win in College Station, going 14 of 18 for 252 yards and two touchdowns. Leavitt answered with 17 completions on 23 attempts for 312 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in LSU’s 35-6 win over the Aggies in Baton Rouge.
Their lone losses told a different story. Leavitt finished 16 of 27 for 158 yards, one touchdown and one interception in LSU’s 32-24 loss at Ole Miss, and he also ran for 63 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
His interception in the end zone with 1:02 left ended LSU’s chance to force the game into a tying two-point try. Minchey went 18 of 31 for 146 yards, one touchdown and one interception in Kentucky’s 45-17 loss to Alabama.
That pick was returned for a touchdown, and he also lost a fumble on a sack that led to another short field for Alabama.
Since that Alabama game, Minchey has settled in. He has completed 72.6% of his passes for 701 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. Last week at South Carolina, he threw for 272 yards and three scores in overtime, and Stein had plenty to say afterward.
“He’s so calm in the chaos,” Stein said of Minchey after the game. “Very proud of him.
This is a giant growth moment for him, being down the way that we were, battling back. No panic, no nothing.
Just hey, next-play mentality. He was excellent tonight.”
Leavitt’s season has been complicated by a hamstring injury he suffered in the second quarter against Texas A&M. He has not been shut down, but Kiffin has said the staff has been careful about limiting him in running situations.
Leavitt did not log a run in LSU’s 63-14 win over FCS McNeese State last week. If he’s not fully available as a runner, LSU will lean even harder on him to clean up the interception issues when plays break down.
That could matter for Kentucky on Saturday. If Leavitt keeps giving the ball away, the Wildcats’ chances improve.
Even so, Stein’s quarterback hunt looks pretty solid from here.
“I mean, when you’re choosing between Kentucky, Nebraska and some of these other really strong and good programs with big brands and ability to play in the SEC or the Big 10, I mean, you kind of have a dealer’s choice,” Stein told the Herald-Leader in February. “I just think our track record - my track record and Joe’s with quarterback play - I don’t think you’re going to find a better head coach and coordinator duo in the country than us.”
In Other News...
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SEC home tickets will come later, depending on availability, so the early window does not cover the full conference slate. There is also a separate chance to land seats for Kentuckys CBS Sports Classic meeting with North Carolina at Madison Square Garden, with that matchup set for a presale and then a general on-sale on specified dates, adding another marquee event for fans willing to move quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys LSU Test Comes With Bigger Stakes Than Fans Realize
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For Kentucky, that makes the matchup more than just another SEC test. The Wildcats will be dealing with a team that looks different in a lot of places, but still carries the talent and speed that make LSU dangerous no matter who is running it out there. Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt is expected to be one of the more important new faces, and his presence only adds another layer to a game that already comes with plenty of intrigue for a Kentucky team measuring itself against the leagues upper tier. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Overtime Heroics Turned On One Play Fans Might Have Missed
Kentuckys overtime escape over South Carolina had plenty of moving parts, but one of the biggest plays came in a spot fans could have easily missed. On the decisive two-point try, CJ Baxter stepped up in protection and helped keep the play alive long enough for Kenny Minchey to find an open lane for the game-ending pass. It was the kind of small-but-crucial detail that can get buried under a wild finish, even though it helped decide a game the Wildcats had spent much of the day chasing.
Baxters value to Kentucky has gone well beyond that single snap. He leads the Wildcats in rushing yards and touchdowns this season, making him one of the teams most important offensive pieces even before the final sequence in overtime. For Kentucky, the finish only added to the appeal of a comeback that erased a 17-point first-half deficit and turned a tense afternoon into a 35-34 win. [Read more 🡒]