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Vanderbilt Announces Transfer of Kovalcheck 6/2/2006
Nashville, Tenn. — Southern California native Richard Kovalcheck, a former starting quarterback at the University of Arizona, will transfer to Vanderbilt and be eligible for the 2006 season, Commodore Head Coach Bobby Johnson announced today. Kovalcheck, a highly regarded prep signal caller out of St. Augustine High School in San Diego, threw 16 touchdown passes for the Arizona Wildcats while starting 11 games during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Kovalcheck graduated in three years from Arizona and will start course work this summer toward a postgraduate degree at Vanderbilt’s prestigious Owen Graduate School of Management. Kovalcheck becomes eligible immediately for the Commodores due to new NCAA bylaw 2005-54 governing transfers of student-athletes that have eligibility remaining and have completed their undergraduate degrees. With two years of eligibility left, Kovalcheck also meets all Southeastern Conference transfer requirements. When Coach Johnson opens preseason camp in early August, Kovalcheck will become the most experienced of four quarterbacks in uniform. Redshirt sophomore Chris Nickson and redshirt freshman Mackenzi Adams competed for the starting job during the team’s recent spring drills. “I’m pleased to announce that Richard is joining our program. It gives us an opportunity to add a quality player to our roster,” Johnson said Friday after returning from the SEC spring meetings. “Richard is excited about joining our team. He’s a proven player on the field and also a proven student in the classroom. This gives our football team more quality depth at a critical position and should create tremendous competition at the position.” Kovalcheck earned a starting position at Arizona midway through his redshirt freshman season. In five appearances, including starts in the Wildcats’ final four games, Kovalcheck completed 67 of 136 passes for 880 yards and six touchdowns, earning Pac-10 All-Freshman honors from The Sporting News. The freshman campaign concluded in outstanding fashion for the Arizona and Kovalcheck, with the quarterback tossing three touchdowns in a narrow victory over rival Arizona State. In 2005, Kovalcheck started the first seven games, completing 125 of 220 passes for 1,350 yards and 10 touchdowns. The stretch included a win over Northern Arizona, narrow losses to Utah and Stanford, and a strong showing by Kovalcheck against defending national champion Southern Cal, where he threw three touchdowns and closed the Trojan margin to seven points early in the fourth quarter. As a prep standout, Kovalcheck was one of the nation’s most recruited quarterbacks. In his St. Augustine career, he threw for more than 7,000 yards and 70 touchdowns. As a senior, he ranked among California’s top players, throwing for 19 touchdowns to lead St. Augustine into the San Diego section championship game. Academically, Kovalcheck earned National Football Foundation/Hall of Fame scholar honors and the San Diego Union-Tribune’s All-Academic Athletic Award as a senior. He was the recipient of Arizona’s 2003 Academic Champion Award. The Commodores, 5-6 in 2005, open the 2006 season by facing the Michigan Wolverines in Ann Arbor for the first time in 37 years. The opener is scheduled Saturday, Sept. 2, before an ESPN national television audience. |
