First Down Kentucky: More Belief in Brock Vandagriff

Rankings are the talk of the college football world as we barrel toward the final weekend of June. Kentucky may not be in the mix for all of them, but some people are saying that too many are sleeping on the Wildcats. One of those people is Brandon Walker.

You may be unfamiliar with his game, but according to Big Game Boomer, Brandon Walker is the No. 1 College Football Media Personality in the country, a title that has definitely not gotten to his head. All joking aside, the bloviating former Mississippi State Bulldog has a few solid takes up his sleeves and this is a good one.

On the latest edition of Barstool’s Unnecessary Roughness podcast, the show sought to answer the question, “Which transfer portal quarterback isn’t being talked about enough?” Walker believes Kentucky’s Brock Vandagriff is being undervalued.

“Brock Vandagriff got caught in behind Stetson Bennett at Georgia, then he got caught behind Carson Beck. Carson Beck’s probably the best quarterback in the country this year. There’s no shame in getting caught behind him,” said Walker.

“He goes out and tries to find him a spot. He lands at the University of Kentucky. There’s been no more consistent or solid team in the SEC East than Kentucky over the last few years. They’re not Georgia. They’re not Alabama’s talent. They’re not LSU’s talent. But damn, Mark Stoops has got that talent level higher than it’s been in a long time and he’s had it there for a while. I think at receiver they’re pretty stacked. They have just been waiting for the right quarterback.”

Kentucky showed Vandagriff a blueprint for success with back-to-back NFL quarterback draft picks who were once in the transfer portal. Walker believes Vandagriff will be better than both.

“They’ve been in this transfer quarterback game for a while now. They had Will Levis. He never gave them more than average. They had Devin Leary last year, disappointing I would say. He was very disappointing. Levis worked in the fact that Levis was a draft pick, but he didn’t really work. He was fine. That’s all they had out of him.

“Now if they can get anything more than fine, I think they can be a player. I think Brock Vandagriff is the kind of guy — high-floor, five-star talent — who just hasn’t had his opportunity, has seasoned a little bit in a great system with a great team, and is ready to bust loose. I think Brock Vandagriff is the answer.”

The No. 1 College Football Media Personality believes Brock Vandagriff is the No. 1 College Football Transfer Portal Quarterback. Wow.

(Yes, I’m taking liberties with many of those statements, but come on. It’s Friday. Let’s have some fun.)

More Not-So-Great College Football Rankings

EA Sports stock was at an all-time high until they started ranking teams. The new College Football ’25 video game adores Colorado. They may not be a Top 25 team on the football field this fall, but they sure are going to be fun to play with in this video game.

NEW: EA Sports College Football 25 Team Power Rankings🔥

Do you agree? 🤔https://t.co/SIfXUXXcAq pic.twitter.com/rT1QRb2lUZ

— On3 (@On3sports) June 28, 2024

Kentucky Continues Hands-Only CPR Training

Just before he was set to graduate high school, Kenneth Horsey suffered a medical emergency and eventually had to undergo open-heart surgery. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and developed into a staple on the Big Blue Wall.

Horsey used his platform to bring awareness to heart issues. It started in the building, teaching his teammates hands-only CPR each year before the start of the season. Even though Horsey has moved on, Kentucky is continuing the tradition ahead of the 2024 season. Tight end Josh Kattus is sharing the lessons the team learned with Big Blue Nation.

Thank you to @UK_HealthCare and @GillKentucky for teaching our team CPR at this week's #4For40. pic.twitter.com/iOKMqzudSU

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) June 28, 2024