Tag: Ethan Garbers

Where the UCLA QB room stands after Dermaricus Davis transfer

Here’s what the UCLA QB room looks like.

The UCLA quarterback room just got a bit bigger. Following the transfer commitment of Dermaricus Davis, a native of Rancho Cucamonga, CA, the Bruins now have a whopping nine quarterbacks on the roster. 

While rising redshirt senior Ethan Garbers remains the most likely candidate to start in Week 1 for the Bruins, adding Davis does put more pressure on him to continue to prove why he is QB1. 

Davis was a four-star recruit coming out of high school and played for the NCAA Division I national champion runner-up Washington Huskies. Seeing no time behind eventual first-round selection Michael Penix Jr., Davis does have the size and tools to be a potential future starter. 

Though it is very unlikely that Davis will unseat Garbers, it is worth noting that several other young quarterbacks could have their spots snatched. 

Class of 2024 quarterback and son of longtime NFL QB Matt Hasselbeck, Henry Hasselbeck, also looks to rise on the depth chart as a polished young recruit.

With how the transfer portal churns players in and out of programs if Davis does show out in practice and potentially on the field, the Bruins could see some of their QB hopefuls flee to another team. 

UCLA QB Ethan Garbers speaks on former HC Chip Kelly

Ethan Garbers had some interesting comments on the Chip Kelly era.

The dust is still settling in Westwood after Chip Kelly departed from UCLA. Now, his former players are starting to speak out.

Ethan Garbers, the projected starter for the Bruins in the upcoming 2024 season, posted strong numbers last season while splitting time with now-Oregon transfer Dante Moore.

Passing for 1,136 yards and tossing 11 touchdowns in 2023, Garbers looks to be the best option for the Bruins going forward as the team resets under new head coach DeShaun Foster.

In an interview with UCLA Rivals writer Tracy McDannald, Garbers said of his time under Chip Kelly:

“Not like under coach (Chip) Kelly that we didn’t have fun, but it was more of a job than playing football. Coach (DeShaun) Foster wants to get back to playing football and having fun while you’re doing it.”

Though not the harshest criticism of Kelly that has been said over the last week, Garbers’ comments shed light on the perception of Kelly in the locker room and the change that the team looks forward to.

But all signs point to the fact that a new leaf has been turned in Westwood under Foster. And perhaps that momentum can carry over into the season to make their first in the BIG 10 a memorable one.

With Chip Kelly gone at UCLA, Bruins face QB questions

D’Anton Lynn should be able to figure out a way to contain UCLA’s offense in 2024.

With Chip Kelly bolting for the Ohio State offensive coordinator job, will Ethan Garbers still be the starting quarterback for the UCLA Bruins and newly named head coach Deshaun Foster next season?

Steve Henson of the Los Angeles Times has reported that “UCLA signed freshmen quarterbacks Karson Gordon from Bellaire (Texas) Episcopal and Henry Hasselbeck from Westwood (Mass.) Xaverian Brothers and also will return Collin Schlee, Justyn Martin and Luke Duncan. Garbers should enter camp as the presumptive favorite, but the quarterback room will be crowded.” The L.A. Times report offers more details on UCLA’s situation.

Garbers, a native of Newport Beach, California, had this to say about adversity: “I would just say my entire football career has been resilient and that’s life.”

Garbers transferred to UCLA in 2021 after beginning his career at Washington.

Under Chip Kelly, UCLA (8-5) won a bowl game for the first time during Kelly’s six-year tenure and secured its third consecutive eight-win season, only the second such streak at UCLA since Terry Donahue in 1988.

UCLA’s 2024 recruiting class ranks 83rd in the country. Its overall class of newcomers (including transfers) ranks 69th. The Bruins will also face one of the toughest schedules in the country in their first season in the Big Ten. UCLA plays LSU and Fresno State in its three nonconference games. It draws Oregon, Penn State, Iowa and USC among its Big Ten opponents.

USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn should be able to defend Garbers this year. USC’s defense should be greatly improved, but more than that, Lynn studied Garbers when he was on the UCLA coaching staff last year.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire. Follow our newest sites, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Etahn Garbers loves UCLA’s student section Rose Bowl move

UCLA is moving its student section for home games at the Rose Bowl.

The little things sometimes make a big difference. For the UCLA Bruins football program, the student section is moving for the 2024 season. The Rose Bowl will be adapting some new seating for the student section beginning next season in a move that could end up paying dividends for the football team.

On Wednesday, it was reported that the UCLA student section at the Rose Bowl will be moving right behind the opponent’s sideline. On top of that, it will be expanding for the 2024 season. The Den, UCLA’s student section, announced the move on Wednesday afternoon:

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers seemed to be a big fan of the move, per James H. Williams of The Orange County Register. : “I am very excited that our student section is being moved. This is going to be instrumental to our success at home this year!”

UCLA will now be the only school in the Big Ten to have the student section directly behind the opponent.

With the Bruins introducing DeShaun Foster as head coach on Tuesday, and a move to the Big Ten, this is something that could make a major difference for home football games.

Ethan Garbers is healthy enough to return at QB for UCLA against USC

This gives UCLA a better chance of winning, but the Bruins still need to outscore Caleb Williams.

The UCLA Bruins are coming off back-to-back losses to the Arizona Wildcats and a 3-7 Arizona State team at home. The Bruins have suffered injuries to their various quarterbacks this season. Starter Ethan Garbers appears to be healthy enough to play, however, against USC.

In seven games this season, Garbers has completed 68.1% of his passes, has 786 passing yards, and has a touchdown-interception ratio of 6 to 3 with a 153 rating.

Garbers has been inconsistent for Chip Kelly and the Bruins, but has been playing the best out of all five UCLA quarterbacks who have played this year.

Chip Kelly is now on the hot seat. The rivalry versus USC is a must-win game for him, and it might not even be enough to save his job on Saturday.

Asked if there was any concern that consecutive losses would snowball into a bigger problem, Kelly said the only thing on his mind right now is USC.

“I’m concerned with getting our team ready to play against a really good football team that we played in a shootout with last year,” he said. “We are concerned with who we are playing. They have the returning Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback. They can score a lot of points. We’ve got to be prepared for that.”

“Ethan’s done everything well since he’s been here,” Kelly said. “At the beginning of the week, Ethan got a lot more reps in practice because Dante was banged up. So, over the course of the week, we decided we were gonna go with Ethan.”

USC and UCLA play just after 12:30 p.m. Pacific time on ABC. It will be a showcase television window for the battle of L.A.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

POLL: Super 25 High School Football Top Star, Week 14

Which performance was the best this past week from a player on a Super 25 ranked team? Vote for the Super 25 Top Star!

Here are the candidates for this week’s Super 25 Top Star. All nominees play on a team ranked in the top 25 or from a regionally ranked team. Vote now in the poll below.

SUPER 25: TOP 25 | REGIONAL | How the Super 25 Fared

NOTE: Players can only win once per season | Voting ends Friday at 2 p.m. ET

Mobile users click here to vote >>

[crowdsignal poll=10467321]

*Weekly winners will receive a t-shirt