Brock Vandagriff’s departure from Georgia was as cut and dry as they come according to Kirby Smart. As the Bulldogs head coach recalled, Vandagriff told him in a straightforward and respectful way that he’d be hitting the transfer portal if incumbent UGA QB1 Carson Beck returned to Athens.

“(Vandagriff’s goodbye) was very lighthearted,” Smart said on the September 11 episode of SportsCenter. “He understood and had already told us that if Carson was coming back, he was probably going to play somewhere else. He was very professional about it. He was very emotional because he loves Georgia. He graduated from Georgia, he won 2 national championships at Georgia. He made Georgia better, he left it better than he found.

“I didn’t want it to be difficult for him. When he sat in front of me in my office, I told him I loved him. I told him he had done a tremendous job. He told me he appreciated everything we had done for him… but he needed to try and go play. That was just a mutual respect we had for each other.”

Beck was the established successor to two-time national champion and current Los Angeles Rams backup Stetson Bennett. Vandagriff had a chance to win the starting job in 2023, but Beck was undeniable in training camp and during the season. Beck had over 4,000 all-purpose yards in 2023 with 28 touchdowns (24 passing) to six interceptions.

Vandagriff has thrown 13 incompletions in 28 pass attempts in 2024 and has thrown two interceptions and three touchdowns.