Cutter Boley is antsy to step out onto the field of Mountain America Stadium as the starting quarterback for Arizona State.
Boley, who was named the starter by coach Kenny Dillingham on Aug. 29, spoke to the media for the first time since winning the job ahead of the season opener against Morgan State. It was widely expected that Boley, one of the Sun Devils’ top targets in the transfer portal, would win the job after making the move from Kentucky.
ASU begins the 2026 season on Sept. 5.
“Yeah, I was excited,” Boley said when he got the news. “Of course, it's a blessing. I just couldn't be more happy with where I'm at and the team I'm on and around the people I'm around.”
The starting quarterback competition was between Boley, sixth-year transfer
and local product Mikey Keene, freshman Jake Fette and sophomore Cam Dyer. The group preached that, despite all vying for one spot, respect remained between all of them.
“I've said it a few times, but I couldn't speak more highly of those three dudes and the type of people they are and the types of players they are,” Boley said. “You know, Mikey's got so much knowledge that I can learn from, and same with Jake and Cam.
“They're in the building every day, long hours grinding, so it's just inspiring to see them work as hard as they do. We kind of just bounce all that stuff off each other and continuously try to grow and get better from each other.”
Boley feels that his mental progression has developed the most since getting to Tempe. He's learning from Dillingham and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo, and also credits the work by strength and conditioning coach Joe Connolly in the weight room.
At Kentucky, Boley began the season as the backup to Zach Calzada before taking over the starting role three weeks into the season. Boley completed 65.8% of his passes for 2,160 yards with 15 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, being named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team.
Boley’s running and athletic ability — his older sister, Erin, was the Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year in 2016 — will surely be deployed throughout the season, but ultimately it was Boley’s “comfort” with the system that won him the job, Dillingham said.
Arroyo was impressed with how reliable Boley became during spring and fall camp.
“His consistency,” Arroyo said. “His ability to come in and work hard, you know? He's done a good job in camp. And when I say consistency, his ability to keep stacking days. There are some mistakes in there. He's learning from it. But his ability to come in with a good attitude and to continue to build chemistry between his guys.
"He's done a really good job of coming in and asking a lot of himself and asks a lot of his teammates. He's got a good mentality about him to get better. He's not looking too far ahead.”
After months of early-morning weight sessions, digging deep into the playbook, and sweating in the Arizona sun, Boley is just ready to put on the pads and play some real football.
“I’m super stoked,” Boley said. “I can't wait to get out there Saturday night. Sun Devil Nation's been great so far, and they've showed out to everything we had. I can’t wait to see how they pop out on Saturday.”
Logan Stanley is a sports reporter with The Arizona Republic who primarily focuses on high school, college and Olympic sports. To suggest ideas for human-interest stories and other news, reach out to Stanley at logan.stanley@usatodayco.com or 707-293-7650. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @RLSscribe.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cutter Boley on winning ASU QB job. 'I can't wait to get out there'
