Georgia Football: What the Bulldogs Are Getting in Brock Vandagriff
It goes without saying that the nation's highest-rated QB in 2021 in the current 247sports.com rankings is going to be an extremely talented individual. And when you turn on the tape of Brock Vandagriff, it doesn't take long to understand why he's so highly touted entering his final season of high school.
Today, we will breakdown Vandagriff's film and see what exactly he does extremely well, and identify an area or two that he could work on to become an even better player. Then we take a look at exactly what Vandagriff's commitment to Georgia will mean for the Bulldogs in 2021.
Film Study
Arm Talent
When you watch the tape of Brock the first thing that pops off the screen is the arm talent. The ability to throw the ball accurately from any and every arm slot, something that in this day and age of the RPO has become a requirement with free defenders running at the mesh point.
And of course, the arm strength is off the charts. A former baseball player, Vandagriff actually told me in an interview back in December that if he had to get on the mound today after not having pitched in years that he'd have a good shot at 90 MPH, and the film proves it.
(Full Film Breakdown of Vandagriff)
But it's not just fastballs. Brock has the ability to make accurate and precise touch throws as well, or what I like to call finesse throws.
Mobility
Too often in the scouting world, people place their evaluations inside a binary spectrum. Meaning, they try to decide whether or not a guy is a "pro-style" or "dual-threat" quarterback, instead of just evaluating the player individually for what they are. To me, in today's game, you're either mobile or you're not. You either can make and extend plays with your legs or you can't. It's that simple.
Well, Vandagriff can do more than extend plays with his legs, he can make jaw-dropping throws on the run as well, which has almost become a requirement at this point.
Smarts
Sure, the physical traits are the loudest thing on the tape. They are impossible to miss. But what is sometimes overlooked when evaluating high school QBs based on their highlights is what is going on above the shoulders. What is the guy doing with his eyes and head to win on every snap? Well, Vandagriff is a cerebral talent too.
In our film study, you will notice that there are several occasions where Vandagriff is deligent with his eye and head placement in order to create space and an opportunity to win for his wide receiver. These are the types of things that only a student of the game picks up by his Junior season of high school football.
Areas of Improvement
There's not much, to be honest, but there are a few things that Vandagriff could get even better at moving forward. Starting with ball security within the pocket. He rarely turns the ball over, but very few elite high school QBs do. That being said, he can tend to get careless in the pocket.
It may look cool to run around the pocket with one hand on the ball like Michael Vick does, but what's also cool is never fumbling in the pocket on a sack like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Brock moves a lot in and out of the pocket, like Joe Burrow and Patrick Mahomes but both of those guys do it with two hands on the ball.
Also, Vandagriff has an extremely quick release but when he does have two hands on the ball, his resting point is down by his belly button instead of beneath his chin, which is the preferred resting point.
What does he bring to Georgia?
So, despite the obvious talents he possesses, despite having more pure arm talent than any other high school player to attend UGA outside of Matt Stafford in the last several decades, Georgia is getting a "dude."
How do I explain this... In the world of football, there are several different types of leaders. There are the vocal ones, the ones that either feel the need to voice their opinions or are placed in a "face of the program" role. Guys like Jake Fromm or J.R. Reed are prime examples of the latter.
Then there is the lead by example guy, those that don't exactly have to speak. They just let their work do the talking and when they do speak up, it carries more weight than you could ever imagine. Guys like Azeez Ojulari or Andrew Thomas.
Then there are the guys that when they walk in a huddle there's just a calming sense around them. Never rattled, never shook. Just a dude playing ball and doing it well.
On top of all that is the obvious. Georgia now has its focal point of the 2021 class. Someone that lives right down the road that can make any top recruit feel welcome on their visit.
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