Will Stein and Nick Mingione have been working in tandem to map out just how 4-star quarterback Matt Ponatoski can play baseball and football at Kentucky.
There is just one massive, unavoidable hurdle standing in the way of getting Ponatoski, who has already signed, to campus: the MLB Draft.
The generational profile of Matt Ponatoski
Ponatoski’s resume is the stuff of legend. He was named Mr. Football in Ohio for the 2024 season and was a finalist again in 2025. He also swept the Gatorade Player of the Year awards in both baseball and football
for the 2025 season.
He signed early with Kentucky once Will Stein replaced Mark Stoops, locking him in as a possible QB of the future. But when you possess the kind of raw talent Ponatoski does, the lure of turning professional straight out of high school is incredibly strong.
Just how elite is his baseball profile? When he stepped onto the diamond for a recent Perfect Game showcase, scouts tested his arm strength across the infield. Ponatoski unleashed an absolute heater that was clocked at 101 MPH. For context, that is the type of arm strength usually reserved for elite MLB superstars like the Reds’ Elly De La Cruz, except Elly is 24 years old, and Matt is just 18.
The mindset and the money
Currently, MLB scouts are weighing the risk of Ponatoski’s football commitment against his undeniable baseball ceiling. In a recent ESPN mini-mock draft from April 17, Ponatoski was projected to go at No. 69 overall. Factoring in compensation and competitive balance additions, that projection places him as a borderline second-round pick.
For Ponatoski, the decision is a win-win scenario, but it requires serious deliberation.
“I’m going to be fully prepared to go to school and go be at Kentucky and enroll and go compete for a quarterback battle when I get there,” Ponatoski recently said regarding his thought process. “But at the same time, like going and putting my best foot forward to these MLB teams and showing them like I have what it takes for you to draft me.”
“It’s one A and one B,” he continued. “I’m going to go have a great career at Kentucky, or I’m going to go be a professional baseball player. It’s like you can’t draw it up much better.”
Financially, the playing field is surprisingly level. A second-round slot value in the MLB Draft usually guarantees a signing bonus between $1 million and $2 million. In the modern NIL landscape, a 4-star SEC quarterback of his caliber will command a very similar valuation if he decides to honor his commitment to Kentucky.
The timeline
Ultimately, the decision will come down to how MLB front offices evaluate him. If a team falls in love with his 101 MPH arm and he creeps into the first round, the guaranteed money will likely pull him to the minor leagues. If he remains a second or third-round evaluation, returning to Lexington makes all the sense in the world.
The stakes are high because of MLB Draft eligibility rules. If Ponatoski enrolls at a four-year university like Kentucky, he is locked into the college ranks and cannot enter the MLB Draft again until after his junior year or until he turns 21, whichever comes first.
He is currently not on campus and plans to join the football team in the fall if he chooses the collegiate route. The MLB Draft takes place from July 11-12 in Philadelphia. After being selected, Ponatoski will have to choose to either sign or go to college. He may also let teams know ahead of time that he is going to college, so no one drafts him. Either way, we will finally know if Kentucky’s dual-sport dream will become a reality soon.
