Chip Kelly addresses where UCLA is at making decision in quarterback competition

It’s been a long time since Chip Kelly has had to worry about the quarterback position with Dorian Thompson-Robinson holding things down since 2018. However, he’s moved on and now UCLA is facing a quarterback competition.

As spring practice is underway for UCLA, Kelly addressed where UCLA is in the process of deciding on a starting quarterback.

“All of them are doing really well,” Chip Kelly said. “We’re just, as we say, we’re just trying to get better every day and I think the entire group at all positions has really upped the effort. You can look at some of the data that we look at from a GPS standpoint in terms of what those guys are putting up for high-speed yards, explosive efforts, things like that in there. They’re all better than they’ve ever been.”

Chip Kelly went on to emphasize that it comes down to practice and, while the team has been practicing well, they need more time to continue to develop.

“So, you know, they’re practicing at a really high level and it’s about trying to get as many reps as we possibly can because we learn by doing. So, the more reps we can get our guys the better they become and I think that whole group, specifically the quarterbacks, you can see them improving on a daily basis. Six practices in, we’re happy where we are right now.”

Among the quarterbacks competing for the starting job at UCLA, Dante Moore is the biggest name. A five-star recruit in the Class of 2023, Moore was the second ranked quarterback in his class, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Of course, that also means he’s a true freshman.

Ethan Garbers, Chase Griffin and Justyn Martin are all returning with experience playing for Chip Kelly. Of those three, Garbers has the most experience, playing in 11 career games. The Bruins also added Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, who played in 11 games in 2022.

Why Dante Moore chose UCLA

Dante Moore recently opened up about why he chose to play for UCLA. It started with the simple fact that Chip Kelly is at UCLA.

“I mean, Coach Kelly, him being one of the greatest head coaches to be doing it right now in college football. Him being a coach in the NFL, coaching at the highest level,” Moore explained.

“And him just having the resume he has and coaching great quarterbacks like Marcus Mariota, Mike Vick and everybody. That just really drew my attention. When he was at Oregon, the Oregon days, he had Marcus Mariota in an explosive offense. I knew me being a quarterback there, that would be a great development for me. I’m just blessed to be with him.”

Of course, Chip Kelly’s offense adds layers of complexity from anything that Dante Moore has done before. It’s a new challenge that Moore is ready to dive into.

“When I first came in from high school, we had a great offensive system there, but really, coming in here, it’s an NFL-style offense,” Moore said.

“It’s a lot of different things change if you’re at the line of scrimmage. Or if you see different types of coverage, what to adjust about. It’s really complicated, but I know I’m going with the flow of everything. Appreciate Coach [Ryan Gunderson] and the quarterbacks in the quarterback room to help me out understanding the offense and I’m just thankful to be a part of the offense.”