Vandagriff draws praise from UK defense at midpoint of spring practice

Each Thursday is tabbed as "Defense Day" at the Joe Craft Football Training Center, but for a significant portion of today's post-practice interviews, the Kentucky offense was creating the buzz.

Namely, new Wildcats quarterback Brock Vandagriff.

Asked how the transfer from Georgia has been progressing at the midpoint of Kentucky's spring football practice calendar, UK defensive coordinator Brad White described the Cats' new signal caller as a significant challenge.

"He's an unbelievable young man that's really talented, and he poses a lot of threats, both with his arm and his legs, which stresses a defense big time," said White, who enters his seventh season on Mark Stoops' UK staff and his sixth as defensive coordinator.

"As soon as you think you've got all of those routes covered and all of those great receivers covered up -- 'Alright, we've got the deep ball taken care of' -- boom, he slides out of the pocket and can run for a big gain. Goodness gracious, now you've got to account for that. Having that aspect, it's a huge threat."

"He's a tremendous athlete back there," UK defensive backs coach Chris Collins added. "He can throw it -- really good arm talent -- but he can also extend plays with his legs, and that's the thing with the secondary, when guys can extend plays and make off-schedule throws and off-schedule plays, it really does stress you."

Developing a second corner alongside All-SEC performer Maxwell Hairston and improving overall depth in the secondary are major points of emphasis for the Cats this spring. Collins views Vandagriff's impressive showing as a positive for both sides of the ball.

"That's helped sharpen our iron," he said.

One of those defensive backs who is expected to compete for a starting role this season is junior Jantzen Dunn, who transferred to UK from Ohio State last season. Vandagriff has made every practice a challenge to show what he can do in coverage against receivers like Barion Brown and Dane Key.

"His ball placement is really good," Dunn said. "Each coverage snap I'm in, the ball is always in a place where I can't get to it. Looking at that guy and seeing that he's on my team, I'm not mad at that.

"Brock's got some skills on him."

The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Vandagriff spent the last three years with Georgia and was part of the Bulldogs' national championship teams in 2021 and 2022. He appeared in just 13 total games, however, and entered the transfer portal this winter seeking an opportunity to be a starter at UK.

In addition to the physical gifts that helped make Vandagriff a five-star prospect in high school and Rivals' No. 2 player at his position in the Class of 2021, Vandagriff also comes to the Cats with the leadership intangibles some say were missing on last year's team.

"He cares so much," White said of Vandagriff. "There's a reason that this team is going to follow him."