Connect with us

Football

Mark Stoops Talks About Brock Vandagriff’s Debut, “He Did Look Like Will (Levis)”

Published

4 months ago

on

Mark Stoops and teammates react to Brock Vandagriff's debut against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, a 31-0 win for the Kentucky Wildcats.
© Carter Skaggs-USA TODAY Sports

The circumstances of Kentucky’s season opener were not ideal. Kickoff was delayed for over two hours, and the Wildcats were only able to play two and a half quarters before another lighting delay ultimately ended the contest.

However, they were able to cover the spread and give fans a promising first look at this Kentucky team, especially Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

In his first collegiate start, Vandagriff’s performance was not mistake-free. In fact, there was miscommunication on Kentucky’s first offensive drive, which ended with an interception.

Advertisement

But as the delay heightened anxiousness of his first start wore off, and he grew more comfortable, he helped lead the Wildcats down the field to score on five of their last six drives, including three passing touchdowns.

What was most impressive was his ability to navigate the pocket, and use his legs to extend or make plays. To some, even head coach Mark Stoops, Vandagriff looked Will Levis-like in that regard.

“He did look like Will on a couple of those runs,” Stoops said after the game.” He’s tough and physical, and he played about like I expected him to. That is a big piece of it when a guy can run like him. You always have to be alert for that, and I thought he was tough and showed maturity, but he showed some toughness. He’s grown up. Again, it’s a great starting point for him.”

Kentucky transfer linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson has had a front-row seat to Vandagriff’s college career, committing to Georgia along with Vandagriff as part of the 2021 class and following him to Lexington this offseason. What did he think of his QB’s performance?

Advertisement

“To be live, he did a good job,” Dumas-Johnson said during postgame interviews. “It will only go up from here. Expectations are only going up from here. SEC opponent next week, so have to turn it up a little bit and keep moving on.”

For the shortened game, Vandagriff totaled 169 yards passing on 12/18 passing, 35 yards rushing on five attempts, and three passing touchdowns. These aren’t eye-popping numbers, but a very good start nonetheless.

For his efforts, Vandagriff earned an 82.1 Pro Football Focus grade, which led all Kentucky offensive players, was third-best on the team, and is the 35th-highest mark of 123 college football QBs who’ve played at least 20% of their team’s offensive snaps.

Next week, Vandagriff will get his first start against SEC competition as the Wildcats take on South Carolina in what is considered a must-win for Kentucky to have a 7+ win season.

Advertisement

Related Topics:
Advertisement

Football

Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

Published

2 weeks ago

on

December 10, 2024

By

Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

Advertisement

With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

Published

3 weeks ago

on

December 2, 2024

By

Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

Advertisement

Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Football

Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

Published

3 weeks ago

on

December 2, 2024

By

A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

Advertisement

Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

Continue Reading

Trending