Incarnate Word Coach Details Zach Calzada's Transformation as a Quarterback

College football fans know Zach Calzada as the quarterback who helped Texas A&M take down top-ranked Alabama. That win helped convince Kentucky fans that he could win big games in Lexington, but it’s actually what he accomplished during his tenure at Incarnate Word that proved he could be successful in Bush Hamdan’s offense.

Calzada had plenty of highs during his one-year reign as the starting quarterback in College Station. There were plenty of valleys in between those peaks, like the two-interception performance in a loss at Ole Miss.

After experiencing chaos at Auburn, Calzada needed to find a place to let him grow as a quarterback. That was in front of dozens of fans at FCS Incarnate Word.

UIW coach Clint Killough saw a player with a ton of talent that needed to be refined. It didn’t happen right away. He threw nine interceptions in seven games against D-I foes in his first season at UIW. Shehan Jeyarajah detailed his growth in year two for CBS Sports.

Calzada only threw interceptions in six of his 14 games. His turnover-worthy play rate dropped by more than half from 5.5 to 2.3%. And in a sign of maturity, Calzada threw the ball away 26 times compared to three the year before, helping his pressure-to-sack rate drop from 22.1% to 12.1%. To translate that into simple English: Calzada finally learned how to take care of both the ball — and himself. 

Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan evaluated Calzada’s reps at both Texas A&M and UIW, and saw a player who progressed tremendously.

“We certainly loved, in his earlier film, his ability to make plays, extend plays and do things on the run,” Hamdan told CBS Sports. “At Incarnate Word, we saw a lot more understanding of the pocket, getting through his progressions, feeling more comfortable.” 

CBS Sports: How Kentucky’s Zach Calzada rebuilt himself into an SEC quarterback at an FCS QB factory

Calzada Learned to Lead

Near the end of Calzada’s first season at Incarnate Word, a conference championship was on the line when Nicholls came to town. They expected to win. Instead, Calzada threw two picks and they lost by two touchdowns.

Following the season, Killough told Calzada they didn’t need him to win. If he wanted to return, he had to be UIW’s leader. The quarterback accepted that challenge.

“It was a dose of humility that this stuff is not guaranteed,” Killough said. “I think that turning point really shifted Zach’s mentality and focus, and it galvanized him as a leader on this team.” 

Calzada was named Southland Conference Player of the Year and led UIW to an undefeated season against conference foes, including a five-touchdown performance in a blowout win over Nicholls.

The quarterback had to prove that he could play in front of nobody at the FCS level. He has a chance on Saturday to prove that the transformation worked when he laces it up against an SEC foe for the first time in four years.