5 Fun Facts about Brock Vandagriff, Kentucky's potential next quarterback
[Editor’s Note: With the news that Brock Vandagriff has committed to Kentucky, we’re moving this post up so you can learn more about the newest Wildcat.]
The opening day of the transfer portal has certainly been eventful. Several Kentucky Wildcats have entered the portal today — including the Wade Twins and Shamar Porter — but the name that has the Big Blue Nation buzzing right now is from a different program. Georgia backup quarterback Brock Vandagriff is now in the portal and Kentucky is considered the early favorite for his services.
Vandagriff is a former five-star recruit and was considered a top-five quarterback and top-25 overall player in the 2021 class in the On3 Industry Ranking. Over three seasons, he played sparingly for the Bulldogs, mostly providing cleanup duty in big wins — including the one over Kentucky this season, in which he went 5-7 for 46 yards and a touchdown. With Carson Beck potentially returning to Athens for another season, Vandagriff is ready for a clean start elsewhere, maybe in Lexington.
Nick Roush has already briefed you on Vandagriff the player, who would be Kentucky’s highest-rated quarterback since Tim Couch if he transfers to Lexington. I’m going to focus on Vandagriff the person, or at least what I can find on the internet. Here are five quick fun facts.
1. Look at that hair
I’ve got to start with the most obvious thing you’ll notice about Brock Vandagriff: his hair, both on top of his head and on his face. Looking at pictures, I have a hard time believing Vandagriff is only 21 years old. Just look at this 2.5-year transformation:
Sadly, he trimmed those locks before the 2023 season began, but if he becomes a Cat, we may see more mustaches and beards sprouting up in the BBN.
2. His sister plays volleyball at EKU
One reason Vandagriff could be interested in Kentucky? His sister Anna Greer, aka “AG,” is a sophomore on the Eastern Kentucky University volleyball team. This season, AG earned Second Team All-Atlantic Sun Conference honors with the Colonels, averaging 2.85 kills and 0.52 blocks per set.
The entire Vandagriff family is athletic. Brock and AG’s younger sister Audrey is a softball and track star. She is a finalist for Georgia Softball Player of the Year and is committed to playing for Alabama next season.
AG told EKU Sports that the siblings were so competitive growing up that they’d hold nightly races to see who could run up the stairs the fastest before bedtime. The Vandagriffs also held their own family Olympics during the pandemic, competing in water volleyball, bocce ball, target practice, four square, wiffleball, and more.
3. His dad coached him in high school
Vandagriff was a standout quarterback at Prince Avenue Christian School in Bogart, Georgia, where he played for his father, Greg. Greg played college football at Tennessee Wesleyan and has led Prince Avenue to two state titles over eight seasons, the first coming in 2020, Brock’s senior year, and the second in 2022. Prince Avenue will play for its third title in four seasons next Monday, taking on Swainsboro in the Georgia High School Association Class A-Division 1 championship.
4. He didn’t want to leave Georgia without his degree
Another factor in Vandagriff’s decision to leave Georgia? The timing. Not only has Carson Beck not declared for the NFL Draft yet, but Vandagriff, who grew up 20 minutes from Athens, will graduate from UGA in a few weeks with a degree in communications studies. In his goodbye message to Georgia fans, Vandagriff said graduating from UGA was a “huge goal” of his. Now, he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining as a grad transfer.
5. He’s an avid outdoorsman
Half of Vandergriff’s Instagram pictures are from hunting and/or fishing trips. His Twitter bio includes “Chop Wood, Carry Water,” an old Zen proverb that emphasizes the significance of consistent good habits, daily tasks, and embracing the process. After scrolling through his feed, I think he takes it slightly more literally.
According to our friends at DawgsHQ, Vandagriff loves hunting and fishing so much that after he committed to Georgia in January 2020, he became a recruiting coordinator of sorts for Georgia’s 2021 class, hosting prospects in Bogart and taking them around campus and on hunting and fishing trips. One of those recruits was Brock Bowers, who went on to become Vandagriff’s roommate.
Do we need to send Kash Daniel and Hayes Johnson down to Athens to tell Vandagriff about Kentucky’s plentiful woods, lakes, and steams to seal the deal for the Cats?
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