By Mark Pszonak
The 2024 season was the definition of a disaster in Lexington. The Wildcats finished 4-8 overall, 1-7 in the SEC and failed to make a bowl game for the first time since 2015. Also, the transfer quarterback they brought in to lead the offense, Brock Vandagriff, flopped and has since retired from the game. As a result, head coach Mark Stoops is fielding questions about his future for the first time in a decade.
With a huge season looming for both the program and Coach Stoops, the offense will be turned over to a new transfer quarterback, Zach Calzada, who is an FCS addition with a long and interesting playing history.
A Class of 2019 three-star recruit from Lanier High School in Georgia, Calzada signed with Texas A&M over North Carolina, NC State and Georgia. He played in three games as a true freshman, and did not see the field in 2020 before getting his first real opportunity in 2021. Making 10 starts, Calzada passed for 2,185 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. However, in December he announced that he would be transferring.
Two weeks later, in early January, Calzada stayed in the SEC by committing to Auburn. However, after not playing during the first three games of the 2022 season, it was announced that he would undergo season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder and apply for a medical redshirt. That would be the end of his short Auburn career as in early December he announced that he would be re-entering the transfer portal.
This led him to FCS Incarnate Word in early 2023, where he would start 22 games over two seasons with the Cardinals. Calzada led Incarnate Word to a 17-5 record while passing for 6,342 yards, 54 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. If you aren’t familiar with FCS football but think that Incarnate Word sounds familiar, this is the program that Cam Ward made a name for himself at for two seasons (2020/2021) before transferring to Washington State.
More Sports News
Can Calzada rejuvenate a Kentucky offense that floundered miserably in 2024? While he will be relied on greatly, the Wildcats’ offense as a whole experienced a major overhaul via the portal. Wide receivers Troy Stellato and JJ Hester, running back Dante Dowdell and offensive linemen Josh Braun, Alex Wollschlaeger and Evan Wibberley will all be vital to Kentucky’s success in 2024. But as usual, most of the eyes and critique will fall on the quarterback, Calzada.
Calzada doesn’t need to bring a Cam Ward level of success and production to Lexington, but he will need to bring some positive consistency back to the unit. His time at Incarnate Word was productive, but was it enough to rejuvenate his career in the SEC? Calzada already knows what he needs to do to succeed in the conference, so now it will be up to him to actually do it.
And if he does or does not do it, may very well play a huge role on Coach Stoops’ employment status in December.
