Kirby Smart says Brock Vandagriff was 'awesome' at Georgia: "He really helped our culture."

If there is one person who knows Brock Vandagriff‘s talent at quarterback and what he brings to the table as a leader, it’s Kirby Smart. The Georgia head coach signed the former five-star in 2021 and watched him develop for three years in Athens, playing in 13 total games with 165 passing yards and two scores while adding 46 yards on the ground. He learned from Carson Beck and Stetson Bennett, groomed to be the quarterback of the future for the Bulldogs — and likely would have gotten the starting job had Beck entered the draft.

Vandagriff’s debut was strong, finishing with 169 yards and three touchdowns on 12-18 passing with just one pick to go with 35 yards on the ground — albeit in a shortened game due to weather. Then came an all-systems failure for Kentucky in week two against South Carolina, one that included QB1 throwing for just 30 yards with three completions on ten attempts while taking four sacks and throwing an interception. Pass protection was a disaster, resulting in a non-existent passing game and an embarrassing offensive effort overall.

His new coach is leaning on the limited film that came out of week one rather than what we all witnessed in week two.

“I’m not going to second guess myself because of this game. Brock, we saw him play a complete game in game one, we saw the way he’s capable of playing,” Mark Stoops said Monday. “We did not have a good game on Saturday, but that’s not all on Brock. We didn’t even give him a chance half the time, let’s be honest. You can’t put that on him.”

Looking at the big picture, what have we learned about the Georgia transfer through two games as Kentucky’s starter? Well, not much. The sample size continues to be hilariously small, just as it was when he made the move to Lexington this offseason.

That’s why Stoops is focusing on what he saw from Vandagriff’s 13 games at Georgia — including the 46 yards on 5-7 passing and a touchdown with 27 yards on the ground he racked up in a 51-13 win over Kentucky last year. Combine that with Kirby Smart’s trust in the Bogart, GA native to name him the backup coming off back-to-back national championships, along with what he saw with his own two eyes starting back in the spring and through fall camp, that’s where you find the faith.

“When you did see him in there, you saw the way he operated. The system that he comes from, it’s a complicated, very good system. He’s been asked to do a lot and when he came in, it was just very smooth, very good and very clean,” Stoops added. “He was one play away from playing in some of the most important games of the year. I think that tells you that he’s a pretty good player.”

The path to complete clarity isn’t getting any easier, though, as a battle against his old friends in red and black awaits with the top-ranked Bulldogs coming to town.

What does Smart expect as he faces off against his former quarterback and prized five-star signee for the first time in Lexington? He played that close to the vest, not revealing any secrets on how Kentucky can get the most out of Vandagriff.

“Part of their identity is figuring out who Brock is, as well as their other quarterback that is playing. That’s something they’ve got to answer,” Smart said Monday. “Our job is to stop whatever they do and we’ve got to work hard on that. We’ve got to worry about us.”

Who Vandagriff was in Athens, however, was an ‘awesome’ player who made a massive impact on the culture of the Georgia football program.

“A lot of respect for Brock, his dad, his family,” he added. “What Brock did for this university is awesome. He was a wonderful teammate and just a great kid. Always put the team first and would do anything to help the team. He really helped our culture while he was here. So a lot of appreciation for what he did. In fact, he graduated from here, which is really cool. He told me he was going to do that and he was going to go play. He did that.”

Vandagriff joins Jamon Dumas-Johnson as former Bulldogs on the Kentucky roster preparing to take on some familiar faces. Their friends-turned-foes are excited for the battle.

“Just happy to see them boys,” defensive end Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins said of taking on Vandagriff and Dumas-Johnson. “I came in with them actually, COVID class. Just happy to see them succeed and hope the best for them after seeing them next week.”

We’ll see how the Cats fare against their former coaches and teammates on Saturday.