Kentucky benched Zach Calzada after Week 2 and turned to Cutter Boley to start. Scott Utterback / Imagn Images

By Sam Jane

Nov. 7, 2025Updated 7:00 pm EST

It’s been a season of setbacks for Kentucky football, and things got worse this week when a video of backup quarterback Zach Calzada flashing $100 bills and taunting a fan went viral.

Calzada addressed someone named Garrett in the video, telling him to “count his money,” before showing several $100 bills. Calzada taunted the fan by saying, “Go get some money,” and “Don’t lose count, Garrett.” The fan had sent Calzada “hateful messages” for a while, according to a Kentucky spokesperson.

Zach Calzada flexing his money, even though he got benched for Cutter Boley 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/VrVEXfb6Sy

— My Thoughts (@mythoughtskc) November 6, 2025

The quarterback posted an apology on his Instagram on Friday afternoon.

“I take full responsibility for the video I sent to someone on social media. I let my emotions get the best of me,” Calzada said. “It does not reflect the gratitude I should share as a member of the Kentucky football team. I sincerely apologize to my teammates, coaches and our fans.”

Kentucky reportedly paid the seventh-year quarterback more than $1 million in the portal this offseason, hoping the transfer from Incarnate Word would revitalize its offense. Calzada started his career at Texas A&M, playing three seasons with the Aggies before transferring to Auburn. He didn’t play for the Tigers in 2022 due to injury and subsequently transferred to Incarnate Word for two seasons.

Despite him flaming out twice in the SEC, the Wildcats brought in Calzada. As programs across the country added high-profile, high-priced transfers, Kentucky seemingly decided it needed to keep pace with the rest of the conference.

In two games, Calzada threw for 234 yards, no touchdowns and one interception with a 47.2 completion percentage. The Wildcats benched him after Week 2 and have started sophomore Cutter Boley since.

Boley’s played well against ranked opponents Georgia, Tennessee and Texas, but Kentucky is still on the verge of consecutive losing seasons for the first time in nearly a decade.

The Wildcats are 3-5 and will face Florida on Saturday night.

Nov 8, 2025

Connections: Sports Edition

Spot the pattern. Connect the terms

Find the hidden link between sports terms

Sam Jane is a trending news writer for The Athletic. He has previously worked as an intern for The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, MLive and other publications. He is a senior at the University of Maryland, where he was a sports editor for the campus paper, The Diamondback.