Report: Brock Vandagriff retires from college football, per Kentucky spokesperson

Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff has formally retired from college football, according to Lexington Herald-Leader’s Jon Hale.

Hale confirmed the news through a Kentucky spokeswoman.

Vandagriff, a junior transfer from Georgia, started the first 11 games in his first season in Lexington but was benched ahead of the regular-season finale in favor of freshman Cutter Boley. Vandagriff’s demotion came following a sub-par 2024 campaigin in which the Wildcats struggled through a 4-7 start to the season.

Vandagriff finished 2024 with 1,593 yards on 125-of-218 passing (57.3-percent) and 10 touchdowns to eight interceptions. The former five-star recruit in 2021, according to On3’s Industry Rankings, ends his four-year collegiate career with 1,758 yards and 12 touchdowns on 137-of-239 passing after receiving minimal opportunities during his first three seasons at Georgia.

Vandagriff was ultimately benched in favor of Boley at halftime of the Week 13 game vs. Texas, and Boley was named the Wildcats’ starting quarterback ahead of the Governor’s Cup rivalry game vs. Louisville. Boley, though, struggled in his first career start, completing just 6-of-15 passes for 48 yards and two interceptions before backup Gavin Wimsatt replaced him, combining for 137 total yards and a pair of passing touchdowns in relief. Wimsatt subsequently entered the NCAA Transfer Portal when it opened Dec. 9.

With Vandagriff stepping away, Kentucky will officially have a new starting quarterback in 2025, marking the fourth straight offseason the Wildcats turned over its QB1 following Will Levis (2022), Devin Leary (2023), and Vandagriff (2024). Kentucky currently has four scholarship quarterbacks projected on its 2025 roster with recent Incarnate Word transfer Zach Calzada, the former Auburn and Texas A&M signal-caller, joining Boley, Stone Saunders, and Brennen Ward.

Incarnate Word transfer QB Zach Calzada commits to Kentucky

Kentucky landed another transfer quarterback with SEC experience after Incarnate Word QB Zach Calzada committed to the Wildcats following stops at Auburn and Texas A&M.

Calzada had a breakout year for Incarnate Word in 2024, throwing for 3,744 yards and 35 touchdowns, with only nine interceptions. He also rushed for 332 yards and five scores.

Calzada led the Cardinals to an 11-3 season in 2024. Now he will look to help a Kentucky program that finished 4-8 this past season.

Calzada played his high school football at Lanier in Georgia. There, he was a three-star recruit in the Class of 2019, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. He was also the 33rd-ranked quarterback and the 429th-ranked player overall in his recruiting cycle. He initially went to Texas A&M.

Matt Connolly contributed to this report.