Zach Calzada tells fan “Go get you some money” in viral video

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Before the 2024 season began, Kentucky football believed it had its quarterback future secured. Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff was expected to hold down the starting job for two seasons, then redshirt sophomore Cutter Boley would take over for Vandagriff, but that plan quickly fell apart.

Vandagriff’s lone season in Lexington ended in disappointment, with him also dealing with injuries. Across 11 games, he completed just 57.3% of his passes for 1,593 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. With a struggling offensive line and inconsistent play, Kentucky stumbled to a 4–8 finish, missing a bowl game for the first time since 2015.

After the season, Vandagriff announced his retirement from college football, and head coach Mark Stoops hit reset. The Wildcats lost 29 players to the transfer portal but reloaded with 24 transfers and 21 high school signees to rebuild the roster. Among the biggest additions was Zach Calzada, a veteran signal-caller looking for one last shot at success in the SEC.

Calzada’s Journey Back to the SEC

Calzada, a 2019 recruit, had already made stops at Texas A&M and Auburn, famously leading the Aggies to an upset win over Alabama. After injuries derailed his career, he found redemption at Incarnate Word, throwing for 3,744 yards and 40 total touchdowns while leading his team to the FCS semifinals in 2024.

Kentucky saw potential for a late-career breakout. Stoops and offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan brought him in with high hopes, even dedicating a significant portion of NIL resources to secure his commitment.

Calzada started the first two games of 2025 but struggled, completing just 47.2% of his passes with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. He injured his shoulder against Ole Miss and has not played since. Since then, redshirt freshman Cutter Boley has taken over and shown steady improvement by completing 65.8% of his passes for 1,376 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions through six starts.

The Viral Video

Now Calzada is back in the spotlight, but for the wrong reasons.

On Thursday, a viral Snapchat video surfaced showing Calzada responding to a Kentucky fan who had heckled him for being a bad player. Calzada’s response? Flashing several $100 bills and repeatedly saying, “Go get you some money, Garrett.”

The clip spread quickly across social media with many calling it tone-deaf, especially given Stoops’ emphasis this offseason on rebuilding the program’s culture after last year’s turmoil.

Culture Questions for Kentucky

The timing couldn’t be worse. Calzada, who was seen as a mature veteran presence, has not contributed on the field since Week 2 and now faces criticism off it. With NIL spending reportedly nearing $1 million for his transfer, fans are questioning whether the investment — and the message it sends — were worth it.

Kentucky’s locker room appears stable under Boley’s leadership, but moments like this raise broader questions about accountability and optics in the NIL era.

For now, Calzada’s “Go get you some money, Garrett” moment is serving as a viral reminder that college football’s new age of player empowerment comes with new scrutiny, too.

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