U Sports to SEC: Canadian QB Callum Wither retransfers to Kentucky Wildcats

Photo courtesy: Laurier Athletics.

Canadian quarterback Callum Wither has retransferred to the University of Kentucky, per sources.

The 23-year-old had committed to the University of Maryland in March.

Wither transferred from Ohio University to Wilfrid Laurier University last offseason, replacing 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner Taylor Elgersma at quarterback for the Golden Hawks. The Waterloo, Ont. native led U Sports with 26 passing touchdowns in his first season compared to only four interceptions, while completing 72.7 percent of his passes for 2,472 yards. He was named a first-team All-Canadian following the 2025 campaign.

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The six-foot-four, 215-pound QB attended prep school at Football North in Mississauga, Ont. Over 10 starts in his senior high school season, he threw for 2,140 yards with 15 touchdowns against six interceptions, and rushed for 500 yards plus six touchdowns against all American opponents.

His performance helped him become the top-ranked Canadian quarterback in the 2022 recruiting class, committing to Ohio University. There was no game action for Wither with the Bobcats as he sat behind fellow Canadian pass Kurtis Rourke for two years. He got to know Nathan Rourke as well and shares the same quarterback coach, Rob Williams from QB Motion.

There’s one other known QB connection: Chad Kelly. The pair played for the same high school: St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute in Buffalo, as Wither spent his sophomore season there in 2019. He completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 1,503 yards with 21 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while rushing 27 times for 125 yards and three touchdowns in nine starts. That campaign garnered attention from big-time NCAA Division I programs, but the COVID year without football stopped that momentum.

Kentucky hired Oregon offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Will Stein as head coach in December following a 5-7 season in 2025 and firing Mark Stoops. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey enters the 2026 campaign as the front-runner to start at QB for the Wildcats. Wither should enter as the favourite to be the backup and compete for playing time.

Meanwhile, Wither becomes the third U Sports student-athlete to go from a Canadian university to the SEC, joining Tavius Robinson (Guelph) and Deane Leonard (Calgary) who played for the University of Mississippi. In the current offseason, Laval University cornerback Jordan Lessard transferred to Colorado State, Western University safety Jackson Mackay moved to Arkansas, and Alberta defensive lineman Emerson Joy committed to West Virginia.

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