Zach Calzada says "Discipline and Urgency" will define Kentucky, not just Motivation

It’s not just Mark Stoops bristling at the “motivated” memes that dominated Kentucky Football Twitter this summer. On Monday, quarterback Zach Calzada suggested some alternative mottos for the 2025 Wildcats ahead of fall camp. While Stoops prefers “grateful,” his presumed QB1 is going with two other buzzwords we’ve heard a lot in the last few weeks.

“I think motivated might not be the best word for our players, but I think it’s discipline and urgency,” Calzada said on SEC Now. “As a team, that’s been a big motto for us.”

Stoops and staff overhauled the roster that went 4-8 last season, adding 50 newcomers from the transfer portal and high school ranks. Calzada is one of the most notable, taking over for Brock Vandagriff, who retired from football after last season. Calzada started his career in the SEC at Texas A&M and Auburn before moving to Incarnate Word for two seasons. Last year, he threw for 3,744 yards and 35 touchdowns with only nine interceptions, also rushing for 332 yards and five touchdowns. Calzada may not like the word motivated, but he and the rest of the new Cats are eager to get Kentucky back on the right track.

“I wasn’t here last year. A lot of these guys weren’t here last year, but we can see and feel the pressure that’s with this upcoming season, and I think just coming every day and putting our best foot forward from January to now, and as we roll into camp, is important for us.”

On Monday, offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan raved about Calzada at the Lexington Kickoff Luncheon. Redshirt freshman Cutter Boley flashed at times last season as Vandagriff’s backup, but Calzada can steer Kentucky’s system with an experienced hand as Boley continues to develop. Plus, as Hamdan reminded fans at the luncheon, Calzada led Texas A&M to an upset over Alabama in 2021 as a backup quarterback.

“We feel good,” Hamdan said of the quarterback room. “Certainly, the number one thing is experience, and that’s what we were able to go do and bring in Zach Calzada. It’s a guy who has played in this league, been successful in this league. I think, as you know, overall, that experience is probably even more important than just the natural skill set. We think he’s a big, physical player, but again, it’s the leadership part we’re going to rely on, certainly him being in his sixth year with that veteran leadership.

“Cutter Boley is a guy I think we all know is as talented a player as we’ve been around. For us in this day and age of college football, we’re as focused on getting him as many reps as just about anybody. So, he’s a guy who can really take the next step. We’re looking forward to that here this next month and leading into his second year.”

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Calzada focused on leading by example

After two years at Incarnate Word, Calzada is excited to return to the SEC. He thinks Hamdan’s system is perfect to showcase his talent.

“He’s a great coach, a great mind, something that I was drawn to out of the portal, and I’m really excited to get into his offense. I think it’s going to be a great opportunity to showcase my talents and my arm strength. And we’re going to run the ball really well, and we’re going to have a lot of opportunities to push the ball downfield.”

Taking a leadership role as a transfer isn’t always the easiest thing; Calzada said he’s doing it by leading by example.

“I think it starts with being somebody that people want to emulate, people want to follow. My thing coming in was I was going to be who I am and be a guy that comes in early, gets the extra work. And as time has progressed, and this offseason has moved forward, it’s allowed me the opportunity to have more conversations with these guys and leave these guys with a sense of establishing what our standard is going to be going into the season.”

He hopes that Kentucky’s renewed discipline and urgency are on display in week one vs. Toledo.

“I think that we’re going to answer the questions [about this season] on the field. And that’s what I love about this team, is that as we go to work. You know, there are a lot of opinions out there, there’s a lot of talk out there, but we do a great job of canceling that noise out and the only voices and opinions that matter to us are the ones in the building and what our teammates want and our coaches think.”

Check out @ZachCalzada on @SECNetwork yesterday talking about being back in the SEC and this upcoming season. pic.twitter.com/GafXFXervm

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) July 29, 2025

Take advantage of our KSR+ Introductory Offer to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. $1 for a week.