Kirby Smart said there's a lot to like about newly signed five-star quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Even so, one aspect stands out above the rest.
“He’s tough; he’s a competitor,” Smart said Wednesday. “He grew up playing the game. He's not afraid to take a hit, to deliver a blow.”
Smart said that toughness and resilience should serve the future Bulldog well as he is a dual threat to pass and run.
“When you look at a quarterback nowadays, that’s one of the things you (see), and that’s the new deal when you look across the NFL. The arm angle, the ability to have the mobility to escape—the game has changed,” Smart said. “When you look at the success maybe Kyler Murray has had, or guys in the NFL, you right away say, ‘The athleticism is the overriding factor.’ You want to have someone that can do those things, but they have to have the ability to process all the information, to put you in the right situation to make plays, to change plays, to do a lot of things.”
Smart believes Vandagriff will be able to do exactly that.
So far this year, Vandagriff has completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 3,342 yards, with 40 touchdowns and just six interceptions, while rushing for an additional 394 yards and 13 scores.
“We think he's a good athlete, and he’s shown that over his career. He's a little dinged-up right now. He’s dealing with some injuries, but you get those things when you run and you get out of the pocket a lot,” Smart said. “That’s one of those things. You have to be able to protect him, but he’s (also) got to be able to make good decisions on where to slide.”
Vandagriff becomes the fourth five-star quarterback to sign with the Bulldogs in Smart’s five-year tenure as the Bulldogs’ head coach. He will join former five-star JT Daniels once his high school season at Prince Avenue is complete.
“Quarterbacks want to play at Georgia,” Smart said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but they enjoy playing at Georgia.”
Nevertheless, Smart has endured his share of criticism for how he's handled Georgia’s quarterbacks over the years.
“Criticism is going to be there in everything we do, but the opportunity to play at the University of Georgia and be a quarterback—I can just start naming all the quarterbacks who have played here who been really good, and who those kids look up to and idolize, (including) a No. 1 overall pick (Matthew Stafford).
“Those kids want the opportunity to do that. They want the opportunity to win championships. Putting yourself in the conversation about being able to win championships is always going to put you at the forefront of every quarterback in the country's list.”
The addition of Vandagriff seems to prove his point.
"When they start talking about where (they) want to go, they want to go win a championship; at least that's what the best quarterbacks want to do, and Brock never shied away from that. He wanted an opportunity to play close to home,” Smart said. “He wanted the opportunity to play near his family. His dad is a coach right here in town. His mom is a teacher. He's got sisters who are really good athletes. He wants to be able to play in front of them, so I'm excited about what he can do. He's been a leader for his program; they're still in the playoffs. He’s been productive, and we’re excited to see what he can bring to the University of Georgia.”
