LEXINGTON, KY (LEX 18) — Sunday night marked yet another highly ranked recruit from Ohio making a commitment to the University of Kentucky, a hotbed for UK head coach Mark Stoops to find talent. But this might be Stoops' most intriguing win to date.
Reigning Ohio Gatorade Player of the Year in Football and Baseball, Matt Ponatoski, verbally committed to Kentucky on Sunday. He intends to play both football and baseball, he announced via Instagram.
As a junior at Archbishop Moeller high school in Cincinnati, Ponatoski set a school record with 4,217 passing yards and 57 passing touchdowns with only three interceptions. Moeller finished with a 14-2 record as runner-up to state champion Olentangy.
Ponatoski is ranked as a 247Sports composite four-star quarterback.
On the diamond, Ponatoski was recently tabbed as a second-team All-American by MaxPreps after hitting for a .462 batting average as Moeller's starting shortstop.
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) July 7, 2025
He is ranked by Baseball America as the top recruit in Ohio in the class of 2026.
