The UCLA Bruins are active in the transfer portal, especially at the quarterback position as Dorian Thompson-Robinson finishes his UCLA career.
Chip Kelly has been searching far and wide for a new quarterback, and they landed a commitment from Kent State transfer Collin Schlee. According to Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire, Schlee is likely to be the starter — or at least compete for the starting job in LA in 2023.
“I don’t think Collin Schlee is transferring to the UCLA Bruins to serve as a backup,” Neel wrote. “He may have been told he is going to be in a quarterback competition with other passers — potentially a five-star freshman — but given the career Schlee has built and with his standing as one of the top available quarterbacks in the transfer portal, he is not going to Westwood to wait in the wings.”
The junior became the full-time starter for Kent State this past season, throwing for 13 touchdowns and five interceptions and 2,109 yards. Head coach Sean Lewis dashed to the Colorado Buffaloes to become the offensive coordinator on Deion Sanders’ talented staff in Boulder, and Schlee now heads out to the Pac-12.
There could be another twist with Dante Moore decommitting from Oregon and going to UCLA, but as Neel mentions, it would be surprising if Schlee didn’t come to UCLA to be the starter — or at least have a chance to win the job.
This raises an obvious question: Will former Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei still transfer to UCLA, as many people expected? It’s certainly still possible, but it’s hardly a lock with all the competition in the quarterback room in Westwood. That is one of the significant quarterback transfer dramas which has not yet been resolved in this offseason cycle.
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