Tag: Brock Vandagriff

Former Georgia quarterback benched

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Brock Vandagriff benched after underwhelming first season as a starter

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops announced on Monday that true freshman Cutter Boley will start at quarterback for the Wildcats in the Governor’s Cup game against Louisville on Saturday.

Boley takes over for Brock Vandagriff, who had started every game this season up until now.

Vandagriff is a Georgia Bulldogs transfer. He transferred to Kentucky in December 2023.

“Yes, (Cutter Boley) does get to start,” Stoops confirmed during his press conference earlier in the day. “I thought he handled himself very well. Once again, I thought he showed a lot of poise in the pocket, distributed the football well, had the vision to hit open receivers, and showed the arm strength to get the ball downfield. I saw a lot of good things from him, and he deserves this opportunity to start this week.”

Stoops’ decision is a tough blow to Vandagriff, who has led a struggling Kentucky offense this season. The Wildcats have not scored more than 21 points against a Power Four opponent all season. Vandagriff has not passed for more than 250 yards in any game.

The former Georgia quarterback has 1,593 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions this season. Vandagriff has a QBR of 56.7, which ranks 71st in the nation.

Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff  has had an up-and-down season. Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Boley has appeared in three games this season and has started the second halves of Kentucky’s last two games: Murray State and Texas. In limited action, he has completed 20 of 38 passes (52.6%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. However, in the last two games, he has improved significantly, completing 20 of 32 passes (62.5%) with both touchdowns and only one interception during those outings.

A native of Hodgenville, Kentucky, Boley played high school football at Lexington Christian Academy, just minutes away from Kroger Field. A four-star prospect, he was ranked No. 398 nationally in the 2024 recruiting class.

Kentucky football names Cutter Boley the starter against Louisville

Freshman quarterback Cutter Boley has been named the starter against Louisville.

After some back-and-forth between passers over the last few weeks, Kentucky Football head coach Mark Stoops has decided to officially make a quarterback change.

Stoops announced on Monday that true freshman Cutter Boley will start under center for the Wildcats in their Governor’s Cup matchup against Louisville.

The move comes after a strong appearance against Texas, where Boley entered the game after halftime. The freshman was 10-of-18 passing for 160 yards in the 14-31 loss.

“I thought he just handled himself very well once again. (I) thought he had a lot of poise in the pocket. I thought he distributed the football, had the vision to hit open receivers, the arm strength to get the ball down the field on a second play,” Stoops said in his Monday press conference. “So I thought he did some really good things and he deserves the opportunity to get his start here this week.”

Related: Eight options to replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky

Boley is a former four-star recruit from nearby Lexington Christian Academy. He was the 25th ranked quarterback in the 2024 graduating class.

He replaces Brock Vandagriff — a former four-star recruit and transfer from the Georgia Bulldogs. Vandagriff had been underwhelming this year, throwing 9 touchdowns against 7 interceptions.

Kentucky is currently 4-7 and will not receive a bowl game invitation for the first time in seven years. In a sense, that takes a lot of pressure off of Boley —who will be playing with nothing to lose and everything to prove in Kentucky’s final regular season game.

That matchup against the Cardinals is slated for noon this Saturday, November 30.

Should Cutter Boley start at quarterback for Kentucky vs Louisville?

Looking at whether Brock Vandagriff or Cutter Boley should start the final game of the season for Kentucky.

Heading into this season, Kentucky football fans were hopeful that the quarterback position was in good hands with Brock Vandagriff. The Georgia Bulldogs transfer was a five-star recruit coming out of high school, and there was excitement around him choosing the Wildcats.

However, things haven’t gone as planned for Vandagriff or Kentucky. After a promising start against Southern Miss, he began to struggle against SEC teams.

Through 10 games, before the Texas Longhorns game, Vandagriff was averaging just 150 yards passing per game, and had just 9 touchdowns passing. The Wildcats offense was struggling as well.

Related: Kentucky falls 31 – 14 to Texas

Enter Cutter Boley.

Boley, a true Freshman, wasn’t expected to play much this year, but came saw his first action against Florida earlier in the season. He was 0-for-6 in that game.

He saw more extended action versus Murray State and played well. He completed 70% of his passes for 130 yards and 2 scores, albeit against a weaker defense.

On Saturday, he entered the game after halftime, and even against an elite Texas defense, he was solid. He was 10-of-18 for 160 yards overall. There were a few mistakes, but he looked more efficient that Vandagriff did in the first half.

Kentucky has one game left, against Louisville, and there will certainly be some discussion about who should start under center. Vandagriff is the veteran, and possibly more equipped to handle the pressure of a rivalry game. However, Boley may have earned the job.

Who will start in the final game of the season? Fans will have to wait and see what Mark Stoops decides, but at this point, Boley looks like he should be the man versus the Cardinals.

Comparing Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff’s stats

Comparing Georgia quarterback Carson Beck’s stats to UGA transfer and Kentucky starting quarterback Brock Vandagriff

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck won the starting job over former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff ahead of the start of the 2023 college football season.

Beck has not missed a start for Georgia since then. Following the 2023 season, Brock Vandagriff transferred to the Kentucky Wildcats.

Vandagriff has held down the starting role at Kentucky despite some inconsistent performances and results. The Wildcats are fighting to try to make a bowl game over the last two weeks of the season.

Vandagriff and Kentucky nearly upset Georgia in Week 3. The Wildcats came one play away from beating Georgia in a 13-12 loss.

When Beck initially won the starting role, many Georgia fans questioned the decision. Well, now we have more data on how both players have performed in starting roles.

Beck’s numbers are better than Vandagriff’s almost across the board, but remember Beck has a superior supporting cast.

How do Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff’s stats compare through 10 games of the 2024 college football season?

Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Carson Beck and Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff were teammates for several years at UGA. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
  Brock Vandagriff Carson Beck
Completion Percentage (%) 57.8 65.1
Passing Yards 1,542 2,835
Passing Touchdowns 9 19
Interceptions 7 12
Yards Per Attempt 7.3 7.9
QBR 57.3 80.5
Team Record 4-6 8-2
Rushing Yards 138 71
Rushing Touchdowns 0 1

There’s no doubt that Beck has posted better numbers than Vandagriff. Beck has had some turnover issues, but he’s kept the UGA offense moving for the most part and has Georgia in College Football Playoff contention.

It is surprising to see that Vandagriff only has 138 rushing yards. We thought the Wildcats would use him more in the their rushing attack. Some of Vandagriff’s rushing stats are down because he’s taken 23 sacks.

Vandagriff did win at Ole Miss, which is one accomplishment that Carson Beck was unable to pull off. Vandagriff has another chance to earn a major upset on Saturday as Kentucky travels to play No. 3 Texas.

Anatomy of a Kentucky upset: A fourth down play defined the game

Kentucky football upset Ole Miss and a fourth down conversion to Barion Brown was the game’s biggest play.

The Kentucky Wildcats football team got one of its biggest wins in program history on Saturday when they upset Ole Miss 20 – 17. The Rebels were ranked fifth in the US LBM Coaches Poll, and it was the Wildcats highest ranked road win since 1977.

It was a close game throughout, with the lead going back and forth until the end. There were a lot of great plays by both sides, but the biggest play of the game wasn’t a touchdown. It came on fourth down in the fourth quarter, with Kentucky down by four points.

The Wildcats gave up a 48 yard touchdown pass on a fourth down play in the third quarter that put them behind 17 – 13. They then traded punts a few times before Kentucky got the ball with just under five minutes in the game.

They began the drive on their own 17 yard line and a three yard scramble got them to the 20. However, a few incomplete passes left them with a fourth and seven on their own 20 with 3:51 to play. Mark Stoops is conservative on these situations usually, but not today.

Related: Kentucky fans celebrate Ole Miss win

Kentucky went with three wide receivers, in 11 personnel for the play. Vandagriff was in the shotgun.

Ole Miss had one deep safety on the play, with four defensive linemen. They elected to blitz with the linebackers, which were picked up nicely by Kentucky. Dane Key was double-teamed, leaving Barion Brown one-on-one with his man on the far side of the field.

When the ball was snapped, Brown got outside of his man. The deep safety was positioned in the middle of the field too far away to get involved, so it was Brown versus the cornerback.

Vandagriff threw it high and down the sideline. The coverage was tight, but the ball dropped into the perfect spot and Brown brought it in. He then made a few moves and when all was said and done, it was a 63 yard gain on fourth down. It set up the go-ahead score and Kentucky would hold on.

It was a perfect throw, and great ball-tracking by Brown, and it’s a play that will go down as one of the all-time greats in Wildcats history.

How UGA transfer Brock Vandagriff performed in Week 5

Former Georgia Bulldog Brock Vandagriff pulled off a major upset with Kentucky

Georgia Bulldogs transfer Brock Vandagriff is one of the more interesting UGA transfers from last season’s class. The quarterback was never able to get his shot to start with Carson Beck emerging as the starter, but with the Kentucky Wildcats, he’s been able to gain starting experience.

This week of starting experience saw him lead a clutch touchdown drive to upset the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels 20-17. Brock had his best game against an SEC opponent with Kentucky, throwing for 243 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions on 28 attempts.

His best play of the day was a 63-yard bomb to Barion Browns on a 4th and 7 with 3:51 remaining in the 4th. He wasn’t able to finish it off with the touchdown, as Gavin Wimsatt was asked to punch it in, but fumbled. Thankfully, Josh Kattus was able to recover the ball in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

The Rebels tried to lead a game-winning drive but were stopped on 4th and 7 at the Kentucky 31, forcing them to kick the game-tying field goal. Kicker Caden Davis missed it, sealing the game.

Vandagriff once again had some nice chemistry with Dane Key and Barion Brown. He’s shown some awesome development so far, and next he’ll have a weaker opponent to contend with the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Georgia transfer Jason Dumas-Johnson was also a force, with 7 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and 1.5 tackles for loss.

How Georgia transfer QB Brock Vandagriff performed in Week 4

Former UGA football quarterback Brock Vandagriff played well in Kentucky’s decisive Week 4 win against Ohio

Former Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Brock Vandagriff continues to hold the starting role for the Kentucky Wildcats. Vandagriff and Kentucky nearly upset No. 1 Georgia in a 13-12 loss to the Bulldogs.

In Week 4, Vandagriff and Kentucky won 41-6 over the Ohio Bobcats. Vandagriff completed 17 of 24 passes for 237 passing yards. He threw no touchdowns or interceptions as Kentucky moved to 2-2. Vandagriff also added seven carries on the ground for 21 yards.

Vandagriff continues to look fairly comfortable in the Kentucky offense. He has a strong connection with wide receiver Dane Key. Vandagriff completed seven passes to Key for 145 yards, which accounted for the majority of Vandagriff’s passing production.

Fellow Georgia transfer linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson recorded a team-high four tackles in Kentucky’s win over Ohio.

Things don’t get any easier for Vandagriff and Kentucky. The Wildcats hit the road to face another top five opponent in their next game. Kentucky plays at Ole Miss on Sept. 28 at noon ET.

Kentucky’s defense continued its strong play in Week 4. The Wildcats have allowed just one touchdown over the past two weeks.

What Georgia head coach Kirby Smart had to say on Brock Vandagriff

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart spoke about Brock Vandagriff’s departure from the Bulldogs.

Kirby Smart, in a recent interview, spoke about the discussion that he had with Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff about him leaving the Georgia Bulldogs after three years of being in a back up role behind Steteson Bennett and Carson Beck.

In that recent interview for ESPN’s “SportsCenter,” Smart was asked about Vandagriff’s exit from Athens. The head coach described it as “lighthearted” and “professional” and said Vandagriff made it clear that he was planning on looking elsewhere if Beck came back for the 2024 season.

Related: Brock Vandagriff shows up on availability report

“It was very lighthearted. He understood and had already told us that if Carson was coming back, he was probably going to play somewhere else,” Smart explained. “He was very professional about it. He was very emotional because he loves Georgia. He graduated from Georgia, he won 2 national championships at Georgia. He made Georgia better, he left it better than he found.”

Smart also said he focused on not making things more difficult on Vandagriff:

“I didn’t want it to be difficult for him. When he sat in front of me in my office, I told him I loved him. I told him he had done a tremendous job,” recalled Smart. “He told me he appreciated everything we had done for him… but he needed to try and go play. That was just a mutual respect we had for each other.”

UGA playing pair of familiar faces against Kentucky

Georgia football will face two UGA transfers that are now on the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Georgia Bulldogs will be facing a pair of familiar faces on Saturday night against the Kentucky Wildcats. Former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff and linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson both transferred from Georgia to Kentucky in the offseason.

Vandagriff and Dumas-Johnson both hold significant roles for the Wildcats. Vandagriff is Kentucky’s starting quarterback and Dumas-Johnson starts at middle linebacker.

The duo is recent experienced a new feeling. Both Vandagriff, a junior, and Dumas-Johnson, a senior, suffered the first regular season loss of their respective college football careers in Kentucky’s 31-6 home defeat to South Carolina.

How Vandagriff and Dumas-Johnson respond to defeat may define their careers. Unfortunately, they won’t have an easy task in Week 3 as Kentucky hosts No. 1 Georgia.

Both Vandagriff and Dumas-Johnson have a special place in the hearts of Georgia fans. The duo helped Georgia win back-to-back national championships in 2021 and 2022. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart notes that because players transfer does not mean that they should be viewed as a failure.

“Not everybody’s looking to transfer early and often,” said Kirby Smart on quarterbacks in the transfer portal. “They all want to play; they don’t all want to transfer.”

Smart notes that it is particularly tough for quarterbacks because most teams just play one quarterback at once.

“I say at the quarterback position, there comes a point in time when if you haven’t played, you’re running out of time to play,” continued Smart. “So, I don’t know what you want a kid to do. Wait out his whole career and not play? He (Brock Vandagriff) did graduate, he became a better player.”

“He certainly feels that he had a great experience at Georgia, and he has two national championship rings,” said Smart on Vandagriff. “So, I think that that’s a positive more than it is any kind of negative.”

Brock Vandagriff has 199 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions through two games. His QBR of 18.4 is ranked No. 127 in the country.

Vandagriff is getting the playing time he was looking for, but he is not performing as well as he’d like. He managed just three completions on 10 attempts for 30 yards and an interception in the Wildcats’ loss to South Carolina. He’ll have to play better to give Kentucky a shot against Georgia.

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Dumas-Johnson has six tackles and an interception through two games with Kentucky. Dumas-Johnson says he’s still buddies with his old teammates and comes back to Athens to visit, but that he has not been talking to many of his old UGA teammates this week.

“I ain’t lose in a long time, so definitely didn’t feel good,” said Dumas-Johnson ahead of the Georgia game. “But, you know, you win some, you
lose some… (I’m) not used to losing them.”

The updated Kentucky availability report lists Brock Vandagriff

Quarterback Brock Vandagriff is listed as probable on the latest availability report.

On Wednesdays this college football season, teams are required to submit an availability report, listing players with any sort of injury, and their probability of playing. Kentucky football sent out an updated report on Thursday, with a surprising name on it.

Quarterback Brock Vandagriff showed up on Thursday night’s report, with a designation of “Probable.” It seems as if it’s not anything serious, but it’s notable, and something to monitor.

Related: Five things to watch for: Kentucky vs Georgia

Kentucky will be without nine players who have been given the “Out” designation. That includes running back Chip Trayanum, who is still dealing with the broken hand. Jason Patterson, who had been getting some important carries.

Here is the full availability report from Kentucky:

Chip Trayanum, RB – Out

Hardley Gilmore IV, WR – Out

Jason Patterson, RB – Out

Devin Smith, LB – Out

Darrion Henry-Young, DL – Out

Jager Burton OL – Out

Courtland Ford, OL – Out

Tavion Gadson, DL – Out

Josaih Hayes, DL – Out

Brandon White, WR – Questionable

Maxwell Hairston, CB – Probable

Keeshawn Silver, DL – Probable

Brock Vandagriff, QB – Probable

Gerald Mincey, OL – Probable