Chip Kelly identifies UCLA players impacted by injury

UCLA is yet to reach full strength. On Monday, head coach Chip Kelly provided a roster update and the status on injured players.

Kelly began with Ale Kaho. Questions arose surrounding the linebacker after he was spotted wearing a protective boot Saturday. Kelly’s update was short and sweet.

“He’s unavailable right now,” Kelly told the press.

Kaho’s absence is nothing new. The redshirt senior missed all of the 2022 season with a lower right-leg injury. While Kaho has rarely been on the field, he’s shown glimpses of promise.

Kaho transferred from Alabama to join the Bruins in March 2021. He escaped the 2021 campaign relatively unscathed while contributing significant minutes. In 11 appearances, Kaho recorded 32 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble.

Now, Kaho’s future again remains uncertain. He isn’t alone in his struggles.

“Deshun Murrell has been unavailable for all of camp and he’s just working his way back.”

Entering his redshirt sophomore season, Murrell is yet to find significant snaps for the Bruins. The 5-foot-11 running back was unranked by On3’s Industry Ratings in the 2021 recruiting cycle. Murrell has appeared in one game through two seasons, rushing six times for 34 yards against Alabama.

Lastly, Kelly commented Titus Mokiao-Atimalala is also unavailable at the moment. This loss is perhaps the Bruins’ most substantial. The wide receiver caught 17 passes last season for 290 yards and a touchdown.

Chip Kelly discusses depth in QB room

While UCLA is missing a few players, they don’t necessarily lack depth, especially at the quarterback position. Ethan Garbers might have won the fall camp battle but Kelly was happy with how all three quarterbacks have performed over the past few months.

He believes each will get playing time at some point — Garbers is just going to get the first snap on the first offensive possession of the season. No specific plan was detailed but Kelly is confident in what Dante Moore and Colin Schlee bring to the table.

“All three of them deserved to play,” Kelly said. “They’ve all been outstanding. It’s been a really good battle with those guys. Healthy competition and they all have their own playing time. But Ethan will take the first snap. Ethan has the most experience in our offense. So, Ethan will start the game but you’ll also see Collin and you’ll also see Dante.”

As Kelly mentioned, Garbers has been in Los Angeles the longest. Moore is a true freshman, while Schlee played his college football at Kent State last season. Garbers is familiar with the Pac-12 too, previously calling the Pacific Northwest home.

See who suits up for the Bruins on Saturday as they take on North Carolina Central at 2 p.m. PT.

On3’s Griffin McVeigh also contributed to this article.