According to Brock Vandagriff, it's probably a good thing that Kentucky is playing a night game in its season opener Saturday against Southern Miss.
The Wildcats' new quarterback isn't sure how he'd deal with an early kickoff, given his excitement level building toward a long-awaited first starting assignment at the college level.
"I don't really tell the coaches, but I will not sleep the night before at all," said Vandagriff, who transferred to UK in the winter after spending his first three seasons with the Georgia Bulldogs. "Just so jacked up. Same thing before I go hunt. I love it, and I'm ready for it."
The Bogart, Ga., native concedes that there could be some nervous energy and strong emotions flowing prior to kickoff.
"I always get pretty emotional just walking out in the stadium, whether I'm the third-string guy or the fourth-string guy -- second or first -- don't even matter. I think it's just kind of a testament to I love ball," Vandagriff said. "Walking out there, probably get a little teary-eyed and stuff, but that's what it's all about. Obviously going to be some nerves, but that just means you care at the end of the day."
The football world is ready to see what the former 5-star recruit can do now that he's been handed the keys to Bush Hamdan's offense, a unit that features a wealth of talent around him. That group includes three veteran wide receivers in Dane Key, Barion Brown, and Ja'Mori Maclin.
Vandagriff, a 6-foot-3, 217-pound junior and the son of a Georgia high school head coach, maintains his approach has been the same as it has always been regardless of his position on the depth chart.
"Basically, it didn't matter if I was starting or not, it's the same preparation getting ready for games in the SEC," he said.
The same goes for suiting up at UK compared to his time spent with two of Georgia's national championship squads.
"Game week in the SEC is pretty intense wherever you're at," he said.
Superstitions? Vandagriff has no time for that.
"You prepare during the week, and luck favors the prepared," he said.
Much like one of Kentucky's recent transfer success stories, current Tennessee Titan quarterback Will Levis, Vandagriff has earned the trust of his new coaches and teammates in a short amount of time. They say he's ready to lead, provided he can manage the Game 1 hype.
"Until you get in front of 70,000 at Kroger Field, you never know," Hamdan said. "I'm sure there's certainly going to be a high level of excitement... he's been wanting to play football for a long, long time. It's the battle against you and yourself, staying focused, and playing at the level you can play at."
"Brock, nothing fazes him," said fellow transfer Gerald Mincey, an offensive lineman who comes to UK via Tennessee. "One thing I can say about Brock, he's real poised. Nothing fazes him, and you've also got a veteran O-Line, so he's just going to go out and do what he's been doing."
Kentucky tight ends coach Vince Marrow agreed. "Our thing is, we've got to play good around him. He's a very talented guy."
Asked what he's most eager to learn about the Cats' offense the first time they play under the lights, Vandagriff kept it light-hearted.
"Go see if our plays work," he said with a laugh. "Hopefully, they do."
