Transfer Portal Bio Blast: Zach Calzada

On By Littum

The winter transfer portal window officially opened last week. We’ve seen some heavy player movement and expect more. Teams are working quickly to get targets on campus for visits over the next few weeks to close these fast-paced recruitments.

Kentucky got a big visitor on campus on Monday when Duke quarterback Malik Murphy landed in the Bluegrass. Another quarterback will arrive in Lexington on Tuesday after Murphy’s visit. Incarnate Word quarterback Zach Calzada entered the transfer portal on Monday and quickly scheduled a visit to Kentucky. Michigan also potentially lurks in this recruiting.

A busy recruiting week continues at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility. Re-signing a quarterback from the free agent market is just around the corner. After digging into Maalik Murphy, it’s time to learn a little more about Zach Calzada. The transfer will be a seventh-year senior looking to play for a third power conference school in 2025.

QB2 asked to start at Texas A&M

Zach Calzada was a top-500 prospect in the 2019 high school cycle. The towering three-star recruit was named an Under Armor All-American and was in the same recruiting class as Spencer Rattler, Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Graham Mertz, Sam Howell, Max Duggan and Dillon Gabriel. The Sugar Hill (Ga.) Lanier product worked out at a Texas A&M camp in June before his senior season and committed to the Aggies after that workout.

Calzada would play in three games as a true freshman in 2019 and retain a redshirt, but would not see any action in 2020 as a redshirt freshman. The quarterback lost a position battle to former top-150 recruits Haynes King in 2022, but quickly replaced King in the starting lineup due to injury. As a redshirt sophomore, Calzada started 11 games for the play-calling head coach Jimbo Fisher and finished the season with 2,185 passing yards at 6.7 yards per carry. attempt with a completion rate of 56.1 percent. The third-year player accounted for 18 total touchdowns and helped lead the Aggies to an 8-4 finish. That season is remembered in College Station for the win over No. 1 in Alabama.

Calzada helped A&M beat Bryce Young in a shootout, with the Texas A&M quarterback throwing for 285 yards at 9.1 yards per carry. attempts with three touchdowns. The Aggies would go on to beat Missouri, South Carolina and Auburn, but dropped consecutive conference games in November to Ole Miss and LSU to take them out of the SEC title and College Football Playoff race.

The quarterback would enter the transfer portal two weeks after the end of the regular season.

Short stay in Auburn

Less than a month after entering the transfer portal, Zach Calzada found his next home in the Southeastern Conference. The Peach State native moved close to home and committed to head coaching Bryan Harris at Auburn. With Bo Nix bolted for Oregon, the path was there for Calzada to be the QB1 on the Plains.

Unfortunately, offensive coordinator Austin Davis moved on shortly after taking over the job, and a shoulder injury suffered in the spring kept Calzada out of the lineup. The transfer did not play one game for the Tigers and entered the transfer window after the 2022 season.

Stardom by Incarnate Word

Incarnate Word head coach Clint Killough was on staff in San Antonio when Cam Ward and Lindsey Scott Jr. each threw for over 4,000 yards in consecutive seasons for the Cardinals. Head coach Erik Morris brought Ward to Washington State and is now the head coach at North Texas. GJ Kinne brought Scott to Incarnate Word and is now the head coach at Texas State. Offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich followed Kinne to Texas State and is now the offensive coordinator at Texas Tech. Killough was the wide receivers coach through it all, as the Incarnate Word has become a starting point for quarterbacks and coaches.

When the 30-year-old was promoted to head coach, the program brought in Zach Calzada to be the next QB1 for the now perennial playoff contender. After missing the playoffs with an 8-2 record in 2023, the Cardinals returned in a big way in 2024.

Zach Calzada was the engine. The veteran quarterback earned Southland Player of the Year honors as the quarterback threw for 3,744 yards at 7.1 yards per carry. attempts in this traditional Air Raid scheme that required a high volume of short passes. Calzada accumulated 40 total touchdowns and chipped in 471 non-sack rushing yards. Incarnate Word finished the season 11-3 with a loss to No. 2 at South Dakota State in the FCS quarterfinals.

Calzada became a star in the FCS.

Luckett’s Scout Notebook

Zach Calzada turns 25 when Kentucky hosts Florida on Nov. 8. Multi-time transfer is eligible to play a seventh year of football due to a medical redshirt. Calzada has played over 2,200 snaps during his collegiate career with 32 starts (23-9 team record), 8,660 passing yards and 84 total touchdowns. Calzada has played in a pro-style offense under Jimbo Fisher and a spread Air Raid under Clint Killough and offensive coordinator Conner McQueen.

This is my scouting take on Calzada after watching some of his tape from 2024 on Incarnate Word.

Zach Calzada thrived in his second year in Incarnate Word’s Air Raid system. Operating primarily out of the shotgun with some pistol snaps mixed in, Calzada threw a large amount of screens and short passes out of spread sets, but also accurately hit small window throws on go routes and connected on deep posts. Tends to drop deep in the pocket and makes too many throws off the back foot. Plays an unorthodox brand of football and looks to keep plays alive by scrambling. Some Ben Roethlisberger-esque game extension where the reps just seem to go on forever even though he hasn’t left the pocket. Some of the most exciting reps on tape are of him extending plays and playing backyard football while pass rushers pursue. Was a surprisingly effective rusher and a key weapon in close-yardage situations. Not afraid to put his body on the line. Owns a windup move, but did a good job of getting the ball quickly.

Zach Calzada showed improved accuracy during his time at Incarnate Word and the ability to create without structure. Produced solid results driving the ball down the field and consistently keeping the offense in front of the chains in the short passing game.

A veteran full of moxy who carried the word offense in every facet in 2024. Zach Calzada is a gritty quarterback who just finds a way to make plays, but the reps aren’t always pretty. There will be mistakes, but there is a definite playmaking factor he brings to the field.