Shane Beamer is very familiar with Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff as the Gamecocks prepare for their first SEC test of the year on Saturday against the Wildcats.
When Beamer was on the Oklahoma coaching staff, he was involved in the recruiting effort to bring Vandagriff to Norman, even remaining committed to Oklahoma for most of his junior year.
In his press conference before the SEC clash in Week 2, Beamer said Caleb Williams – drafted No. 1 overall by the Chicago Bears in April – would not have been the Sooners’ quarterback if Vandagriff had not canceled his commitment to Georgia when the current South Carolina head coach was an assistant coach at Oklahoma.
“The only reason Caleb Williams ended up in Oklahoma is because Brock (Vandagriff) withdrew his commitment to Oklahoma and went to Georgia,” Beamer said.
Shane Beamer noted that he recruited Kentucky QB Brock Vandergriff while he was at Oklahoma.
“The only reason Caleb Williams ended up in Oklahoma is because Brock (Vandergriff) withdrew his commitment to Oklahoma and went to Georgia.”
– Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) 4 September 2024
Williams’ arrival at Oklahoma had a major impact on all of college football in recent years. He eventually followed Lincoln Riley to USC and then won the Heisman Trophy in 2022. Williams’ rise with the Sooners also led to Spencer Rattler losing his starting spot in Norman and eventually transferring to South Carolina. Dillon Gabriel, who replaced Williams for 2 years at OU and is now at Oregon, may have also taken a different path during his college career.
Although it is his fourth collegiate season, this is the first year Vandagriff has the chance to start and lead an SEC team as the Wildcats’ signal caller.
He sat behind Stetson Bennett in his three years at Georgia and was unable to beat Carson Beck for the starting job last year, which led to him transferring and ultimately joining Kentucky.
In the season opener against Southern Miss last weekend, Vandagriff flourished on Kentucky’s offense. The Wildcats dominated time of possession and showcased their strong running game, running the ball 24 times with 7 different ball carriers touching the ball, including Vandagriff, who completed 5 runs for 35 yards.
In the passing game, Kentucky threw the ball just 18 times, with Vandagriff completing 12 of those attempts for 169 yards, 3 touchdowns, and one interception.
It will be interesting to see if South Carolina’s defense — which struggled at times in its opener against Old Dominion — will force Vandagriff to beat them in the air with a run-stopping defensive scheme.
