UCLA quarterbacks are trying to find what works

By HALEY SAWYER |PUBLISHED August 5, 2023 at 2:59 p.m. | UPDATED: August 6, 2023 at 1:51 a.m.
LOS ANGELES — There are multiple ways to judge a quarterback battle and measure strengths and weaknesses and what gives a player more leverage.
Ethan Garbers’ perspective is clear.
“I’m trying to be the smartest person out there on the field,” the redshirt junior said.
Each quarterback at UCLA has his own way of molding his mind into one that’s ready for the starting position. There are distinct individual habits, but also some that all of the quarterbacks share.
For example, Garbers wears a camera mounted to his helmet that films all his reps. Coaches are then able to use that film as study material and players can view it in virtual reality.
“The VR helps because it’s one thing to see from a sky cam, but it’s another thing to see actual live reps and see where everyone’s at,” redshirt freshman Justyn Martin said. “On the helmet, sometimes you might not be able to see that (linebacker) sitting there. So you have to find windows or find spots.”
Position meetings have created a productive dialogue between quarterbacks who hail from different parts of the country. Garbers is from Newport Beach, Martin is from Inglewood, Collin Schlee is from Maryland and Dante Moore is from Detroit.
Martin described the quarterback room as “flavorful” in terms of personal backgrounds. Their abilities are diverse, as well. It creates a comfortable learning environment for everyone but with an element of competition.
“You try to be the first one to answer all the questions,” said Schlee, a redshirt junior transfer from Kent State. “You want to get called on to go write up on the board and answer all those questions.”
Schlee said he’s an excessive note-taker and writes his notes multiple times in order for the information to really stick in his mind. Moore, a highly recruited freshman who just turned 18, is learning to take his academic studying more seriously and balancing that with the playbook memorization he’s had to do as an incoming quarterback.
He’s given up social media to help with that. He posts on Instagram sparingly, his last tweet was back in January and TikTok is totally off limits.
“That’s just time killers,” Moore said. “You can be on your phone watching funny videos and an hour goes by. You can be more productive doing other things. So, when it comes to social media, I’m just not on it. It’s a waste of my time. I got better things to do for sure.”
Moore and Schlee arrived early for spring camp, which gave them a head start on learning UCLA’s NFL-style offense. They’ve been introduced to the phrases and mantras of head coach Chip Kelly and quarterbacks coach Ryan Gunderson. Garbers is particularly keen on Gunderson’s “drive the bus, get the kids to school” line.
Everything counts when considering what Kelly is factoring into the ongoing quarterback battle.
“It’s grasp and knowledge of what our offense is,” Kelly said Friday. “If we call a play that they can execute what we call. They have to have the innate ability to make plays off schedule, but you just can’t rely on off-schedule plays all the time and just hope that he’ll make a play.”
Awards watch
Bruins tight end Carsen Ryan has been named to the Mackey Award Watch list, which recognizes the top tight end in the country. The sophomore played in the opening five games last season and his best night was against Alabama State, when he caught three passes for 58 yards.
Duke Clemens has been named to the Rimington Trophy Watch List, which honors the best center in Division I FBS football. The senior started all 13 games last season as UCLA averaged more than 200 yards per game on the ground.
Clemens was also named to the Outland Trophy Watch list on Aug. 1.