Starting Quarterbacks
1933 to present
The following players were the predominant quarterbacks for the Wildcats each season after the establishment of the Southeastern Conference.
Key
| * | Selected to the All-SEC team (First, Second, or Third team) | ||||
| † | Selected to an All-America team (First, Second, or Third team) | ||||
| ‡ | Won a postseason game (Bowl game) | ||||
| Year | Player | Class | Games | Yards | TDs | INTs | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Devin Leary | ||||||
| 2022 | Destin Wade | ||||||
| 2022 | Kaiya Sherron | ||||||
| 2021–2022 | Will Levis | ||||||
| 2019 | Lynn Bowden | ||||||
| 2019 | Sawyer Smith | ||||||
| 2018–2020 | Terry Wilson | ||||||
| 2016–2017 | Stephen Johnson | ||||||
| 2016 | Luke Wright | ||||||
| 2015–2016 | Drew Barker | ||||||
| 2014 | Patrick Towles | r-So. | 12 | 2,718 | 14 | 9 | – |
| 2013 | Jalen Whitlow | So. | 8 | 1,033 | 5 | 5 | – |
| Max Smith | r-So. | 4 | 1,276 | 9 | 1 | – | |
| 2012 | Jalen Whitlow | So. | 7 | 801 | 3 | 2 | – |
| Max Smith | So. | 4 | 975 | 8 | 4 | – | |
| Morgan Newton | Sr. | 1 | 73 | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2011 | Morgan Newton | Jr. | 8 | 793 | 8 | 7 | – |
| Max Smith | Fr. | 4 | 819 | 4 | 4 | – | |
| Matt Roark | Sr. | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | Normally a wide receiver, Roark started the season's final game at quarterback against Tennessee after both of the Wildcats' quarterbacks were out injured.[1] | |
| 2010 | Mike Hartline | Sr. | 12 | 3,178 | 23 | 9 | – |
| Morgan Newton | So. | 1 | 265 | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2009 | Morgan Newton | Fr. | 8 | 706 | 6 | 3 | – |
| Mike Hartline | Jr. | 5 | 806 | 6 | 7 | – | |
| 2008 | Mike Hartline‡ | So. | 9 | 1,666 | 9 | 8 | Won 2009 Liberty Bowl |
| Randall Cobb | Fr. | 4 | 542 | 2 | 5 | – | |
| 2004–2007 | Andre' Woodson*‡ | Sr. | 13 | 3,709 | 40 | 11 | Won 2007 Music City Bowl 2007 Second Team All-SEC |
| 2001–2004 | Shane Boyd | 2,484 | |||||
| 2000–2003 | Jared Lorenzen | 10,354 | 78 | 41 | |||
| 1999 | Dusty Bonner | ||||||
| 1996–1998 | Tim Couch | Jr. | 16 | 6,772 | 76 | 37 | 1999 NFL draft 1st Round, #1 Pick |
| 1995–1996 | Billy Jack Haskins | ||||||
| 1994–1995 | Jeff Speedy | ||||||
| 1993–1994 | Antonio O'Ferral | ||||||
| 1991–1993 | Pookie Jones | ||||||
| 1990–1991 | Brad Smith | ||||||
| 1989–1990 | Freddie Maggard | ||||||
| 1988–1989 | Glenn Fohr | ||||||
| 1985–1987 | Kevin Dooley | ||||||
| 1984–1986 | Bill Ransdell | ||||||
| 1982 | Doug Martin | ||||||
| 1980–1983 | Randy Jenkins | ||||||
| 1979 | Terry Henry | ||||||
| 1978, 1980 | Larry McCrimmon | Played in USFL | |||||
| 1976–1977 | Derrick Ramsey | ||||||
| 1974–1975 | Cliff Hite | ||||||
| 1973–1974 | Mike Fanuzzi | ||||||
| 1969–1971 | Bernie Scruggs | ||||||
| 1967–1968 | Dave Bair | ||||||
| 1966 | Terry Beadles | ||||||
| 1963–1965 | Rick Norton | Played for NFL's Miami Dolphins. | |||||
| 1960–1962 | Jerry Woolum | ||||||
| 1960 | Jerry Eisaman | ||||||
| 1957–1959 | Lowell Hughes | ||||||
| 1956 | Delmar Hughes | ||||||
| 1953–1955 | Bob Hardy | ||||||
| 1952 | Steve Meilinger | ||||||
| 1949–1951 | Babe Parilli | ||||||
| 1946–1948 | George Blanda | Blanda played 26 seasons of professional football, the most in the sport's history, and had scored more points than anyone in history at the time of his retirement. | |||||
| 1941–1942; 1946 | Phil Cutchin | ||||||
| 1940 | Charles Jones Jr. | ||||||
| 1938–1939 | Joe Shepherd | ||||||
| 1936–1937 | Vincent Robinson | ||||||
| 1934–1935 | Norris McMillin | ||||||
| 1933 | Jack Jean |
1922 to 1932
The following players were the predominant quarterbacks for the Wildcats each season after the establishment of the Southern Conference until the establishment of the Southeastern Conference.
| Name | Years Started | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Kercheval | 1932 | All-Southern. He was chosen as the placekicker for an Associated Press Southeast Area All-Time football team 1920–1969 era. | |
| Carey Spicer | 1929–1931 | Spicer and Gilb were brothers-in-law. Spicer was a two-time All-American basketball player. | [2] |
| Elmer Gilb | 1928 | ||
| Gayle Mohney | 1925–1927 | Mohney also played basketball. | [3] |
| Turner Gregg | 1922–1924 | Upset the Alabama team which had just beaten Penn in 1922. Beat Tennessee in 1924. | [4] |
1896 to 1921 (incomplete)
The following players were the predominant quarterbacks for the Wildcats each season after the establishment of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association until the establishment of the Southern Conference.
| Name | Years Started | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Lavin | 1919–1921 | Also a guard on the 1921 SIAA champion basketball team, playing with Basil Hayden. | |
| Craig Riddle | 1917 | ||
| Doc Rodes | 1915–1916 | All-Southern. Vanderbilt coach Dan McGugin stated "If you would give me Doc Rodes, I would say he was a greater player than Curry." Rodes was a cousin of earlier Kentucky football player William "Red Doc" Rodes, often called William while Black Doc is called Doc. "Doc" also had two brothers play football at Kentucky: J. W. "Boots" Rodes and Pete Rodes. | [5] |
| Paul Hite | 1914 | ||
| Parks | 1911–1914 | ||
| Abe Roth | 1912 | ||
| Les Guyn | 1911 | ||
| Jake Gaiser | 1910 | ||
| Shelby Post | 1908 | He also played basketball. He was a great-great-grandson of Isaac Shelby. | [6] |
| Neville Stone | 1906–1907 | ||
| Presley Atkins | 1904–1905 | ||
| W. H. Grady | 1903 | ||
| Herman Scholtz | 1901 | Also a member of the "immortals". He once cross-dressed to attend a women's basketball game (women only in those days). | |
| Roscoe Severs | 1897 | Captain of the 1898 "Immortals" |
1891 to 1895 (incomplete)
| Name | Years Started | Notability | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Alford | 1895 | Captain of the 1895 team. |