This post was updated Aug. 25 at 5:22 p.m.
Inching closer to a new era for UCLA football in the Big Ten, Daily Bruin Sports will preview each of the Bruins’ position groups prior to the season’s official start. Daily Bruin contributor Noah Massey concludes the series with a dive into the quarterbacks.
Personnel
Stability has returned under center.
Following a season of competition and uncertainty at the top, redshirt senior Ethan Garbers has established himself as the Bruins’ primary signal-caller for UCLA’s first season in the Big Ten.
The departures of former quarterbacks Dante Moore and Collin Schlee – who combined for seven starts last year – left starting duties almost undoubtedly in Garbers’ hands.
After spending his first two seasons in Westwood as the backup, Garbers made six starts last season and is poised for his first full season as QB1.
Garbers began proving his mettle midway through last season by amassing 240 passing yards and two touchdowns in his late-October start against Stanford.
By the season’s end, he proved himself as the most prolific passer on the team, matching Moore’s 11 touchdowns while throwing six fewer interceptions and completing passes at a clip nearly 14% higher than either Moore or Schlee.
Through fall camp, Garbers grew accustomed to his role, leading the team both on and off the field while it adjusted to new associate head coach and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s West Coast offense.
The battle for Garbers’ backup remains undecided among UCLA’s seven other quarterbacks.
Redshirt sophomore Justyn Martin has taken a majority of the second-team reps through the offseason but has yet to secure the position.
The former four-star recruit appeared in two games for the Bruins, rushing thrice but never attempting a pass. The 6-foot-4 Los Angeles local possesses the ability to fill the second-string spot but faces stiff competition from the rest of the Bruins’ quarterback pool.
Freshmen quarterbacks Dermaricus Davis, Henry Hasselbeck and Karson Gordon as well as redshirt freshman Luke Duncan were three- and four-star prospects out of high school and are equally in the mix for backup, third-string and depth roles.
Besides Garbers, the only quarterback with a collegiate passing attempt is fellow redshirt senior Chase Griffin, who has fallen down the depth chart since his two starts in 2020 and is unlikely to see much playing time in his final year with the team.
Rounding out the room is a third redshirt senior, Nick Billoups. Billoups never saw the field in four years at BYU but could be a change-of-pace quarterback given his athleticism – fulfilling a role similar to Schlee’s last season.
Predictions
After a year of instability following the departure of longtime quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, consistency will return with Garbers at the helm.
A revamped offensive line and deep wide receiving corps will be crucial to Garbers as he attempts to guide UCLA through a grueling Big Ten schedule featuring some of last season’s top collegiate defenses, including Penn State and Iowa.
With the additions of Bieniemy – who is often credited for his role in the development of Patrick Mahomes – and veteran quarterbacks coach Ted White, the coaching staff seems stronger than ever and could help fine-tune Garbers while developing the next generation of Bruin quarterbacks.
But should Garbers fall out of the running, Bieniemy and White would be spoiled for choice to decide on his heir.
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