Junior Cutter Boley has been named Arizona State’s starting quarterback, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
Boley spent two years at Kentucky before transferring to ASU last winter. The 6-foot-5, 213-lb. quarterback started in 11 games for the Wildcats as a redshirt freshman, passing for 2,160 yards and 15 touchdowns. He holds the Kentucky single-season freshman completion percentage record, completing 65.8% of his passes last season.
“We think Cutter is the best opportunity for us to go win football games,” Dillingham said. “We feel like he deserves it and he won it.”
Following the departure of junior quarterback Sam Leavitt, who transferred to LSU, Arizona State acquired various quarterbacks to compete for the starting role.
Throughout the spring and early fall, Boley held off teammates like freshman Jake Fette and sixth-year Mikey Kenne in a quarterback competition that lingered into mid-August. However, as the Sun Devils inched closer to the season, it became apparent that Boley had risen above the pack.
“I wanted to develop as a quarterback and become the best possible QB mechanic and operator that I could be,” Boley told reporters after a fall camp practice about why he decided to come to ASU. “Coach (Marcus) Arroyo and Coach Dilly (Dillingham) have coached a countless number of quarterbacks who have done extremely well. Their ability to teach me and help me grow as a player is what sold it for me.”
During the summer, Boley’s training emphasized his lower body, as he aimed to provide a steadier foundation to pair with his robust arm strength.
“Something I was working on a lot in the offseason was my feet and my footwork and getting my feet faster, so I put a lot of muscle on in my legs,” Boley said.
Still, if Boley were to struggle early on, Dillingham believes the team has depth behind him, complete with both experience and enticing young talent.
“I saw ups and downs from the younger guys. Mikey (Keene) was Mr. consistency throughout camp,” Dillingham told reporters at his fall camp opening press conference. “We wanted to bring in some combinations of high ceilings with consistency.”
With the announcement, Boley became the sixth unique starting quarterback for the program under Dillingham, and one of three underclassmen to hold the role, alongside Jaden Rashada and Sam Leavitt.
Like both of those former Sun Devil signal-callers, he’ll make his debut in the maroon and gold under the twinkling lights of Mountain America Stadium when ASU kicks off its season against Morgan State on Sept. 5 at 7:30 p.m. PST.
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