When Chip Kelly left and DeShaun Foster was hired as the UCLA Bruins head coach, Ethan Garbers didn’t hesitate. He stayed at UCLA and is the surefire pick to be the starting quarterback for 2024.
Carter Bahns of 247Sports compiled a list of signal-callers poised to silence the critics, and UCLA QB Ethan Garbers was one of them.
Ethan Garbers is on the doorstep of his fifth year of college football, and his longtime role as a backup has him flying well below the radar. Dante Moore’s exit for Oregon paved the way for Garbers to finally ascend to the top line of the depth chart in 2024 after he saw only limited action at Washington and UCLA over the last four seasons. He started half of last season amid Moore’s struggles and turned in a really quality debut with a healthy 67.1% completion rate, 1,136 yards and a more-than-serviceable 11 touchdowns to three interceptions. He was the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in the 2020 class, and those skills have not gone anywhere.
It could be a massive year for Garbers as UCLA goes to the Big Ten, and he has plenty of talent to catch the attention of those across the country.
Others on the list include UCF’s KJ Jefferson, Shedeur Sanders of Colorado, and Cade McNamara of Iowa.