Ethan Garbers discusses the advantage he has with experience in UCLA's offense

UCLA is yet to choose its starting quarterback for the upcoming season. Vying for the spot, Ethan Garbers boasts something the team’s other candidates lack.

“I’ve been here with the guys around here the longest. I’ve known the coaches the longest. It’s somewhat of an advantage,” Garbers told the media on Sunday. “I’m just trying to help everybody that’s here. And trying just to make the team better is my biggest goal.”

Garbers is in a three-horse race for the starting spot behind center. His first opponent is Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, who transferred to UCLA this offseason. While Schlee has no experience with the Bruins, he certainly knows his way around the gridiron.

In 2022 alone, Schlee threw for 13 touchdowns and 2,109 yards. After entering the NCAA transfer portal on Dec. 6, he will have two years of eligibility remaining. Schlee isn’t the only competitor Garbers has to worry about.

UCLA also added five-star freshman Dante Moore in the offseason. Exiting Martin Luther King High School in Detroit, Moore was ranked the No. 2 quarterback Class of 2023 according to On3’s Industry Ranking.

As Garbers mentioned, he’s the only one with in-game reps for the Bruins. After spending one season at Washington, Garbers transferred to UCLA. In 2022, Garbers saw actions in six games and threw for a season-best 164 yards against Alabama State.

A positive outlook on the fierce competition

While the competition for the starting spot is undoubtedly fierce, the Bruins’ quarterbacks keep things cordial. Schlee recently discussed the vibe inside the QB room.

“Fun, very fun,” Schlee said earlier this week. “You know, you just don’t compete on the field. You compete in the meeting rooms too. You try to be the first one to answer all the questions, you want to get called on to go write up on the board and answer all those questions, so it’s fun. Especially being with these guys, they’re a group of very, very interesting individuals and they’re very fun to be around.”

UCLA head coach Chip Kelly is in no rush to name the top dog in this fun group.

“It’s never going to be one guy’s at 90%, and the other guy’s at 10%. It’s close, and if we had to pick a starter right now, it’d be really close,” Kelly said back in April. “Usually, right around before that first week, you’re going to say, ‘Alright, we’ve decided we’re going with this player or this player.’

“We’re not actually deciding anything. I think it’s that player has earned it. And most people will know by the time we get to that point in time who it is,” Kelly said.

On3’s Kaiden Smith also contributed to this article.