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Published Sep 12, 2020
Brock Vandagriff's best plays vs. Rabun County
Dayne Young  •  UGASports
Staff
Twitter
@dayneyoung

Brock Vandagriff had the national spotlight Friday night as Prince Avenue Christian played Rabun County with a game that was televised on ESPNU. The five-star quarterback and Georgia commit helped Prince Ave. score 21 unanswered third quarter points to set up for a thrilling fourth quarter. Rabun County held on to win 38-31. Here are some of Vandagriff's highlights.

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This is an SEC caliber throw across the middle into traffic. Vandagriff takes a three-step drop and quickly muscles the football to a spot in the end zone. His compact throwing motion is very refined and will help him at the college level. This is a small window and the ball had to have zip on it to get through the defensive back.

Here are two views of the same touchdown. Deep-ball accuracy is vital, as offenses spread and receivers stretch the field. Vandagriff's pocket management gives him extra time while his eyes remain downfield. He begins to roam to his right before scampering back left for the extra couple of seconds. Notice how his knees stay bent the entire time. This allows him to confidently shift his weight and quickly release the football with power. He leads the receiver without stopping momentum.

This is an easy throw, but still a good display of athleticism. Rolling one way, readjusting, and throwing across the body is very difficult to do, especially with accuracy. Once again, Vandagriff does a good job of putting the ball in the spot where the receiver is going, not where the receiver currently is. Leading pass catchers to a safe area becomes more exaggerated at the next level as everybody on the field is bigger and faster.

Quarterbacks must be a threat to gain rushing yards in 2020. An offense without that threat is limited. Vandagriff showed some tough, gritty running such as the option read keeper above. While he will not ever lead the team in rushing yards, he showed flashes of what Joe Burrow excelled at during his Heisman Trophy winning season a year ago. When the defense is aiming to defend the litany of quick passes, running lanes become available for easy yards.

A five-star (soon-to-be) quarterback at Georgia ran a fake punt. This play was called back due to penalty. But it's important to note that Vandagriff is the punter for his team and could do pooch punts with a threat of a pass if the situation warranted itself.

Overall reaction

Vandagriff's stat line was not as gaudy as some previous games. He finished at: 16/29, 169 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT. It is important to note the roster depth and talent differential from a 1A private school and a 2A public school. Vandagriff charged a valiant comeback attempt and showed why he is one of the best quarterback prospects in the country. His athletic skillset is college-ready now. He needs to continue working on reading defenses and anticipating defender movement. Overall, it was a stellar performance for a national audience.

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