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Ethan Garbers shares reaction to winning UCLA starting quarterback job

PeterWarrenPhoto2by:Peter Warren•08/28/23•

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Stan Szeto | USA TODAY Sports

UCLA announced Ethan Garbers as the team’s starting quarterback Monday. The decision comes after a quarterback battle that lasted throughout the winter, spring and summer.

The redshirt junior spoke with the media Monday about earning the starting role.

“I feel great,” Garbers said. “Now it’s time to get to work and win some football games this year.”

Garbers won the job over Chase Griffin, Justyn Martin, Dante Moore and Collin Schlee with Schlee and Moore being the runners-up for the role.

In fact, Schlee and Moore will both get to play during UCLA’s season opener Saturday versus Coastal Carolina. Kelly said they will rotate the quarterbacks during the game.

“All three deserve to play,” head coach Chip Kelly said Monday. “It’s been a really good battle with those guys.”

Garbers said he was told about the decision before practice Sunday. As for having to rotate at quarterback for Game 1, he said he isn’t going to worry about it.

“It is what it is,” Garbers said. “I’m gonna go out there and do what I can do, control what I can control and give it my all every snap.”

Garbers played in six games last season as a backup to starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson. He threw for 294 yards with a 70.3% completion percentage.

A four-star recruit coming out of Newport Beach (Calif.) Corona Del Mar, Garbers spent his first college season at Washington before transferring to UCLA.

His brother is former California quarterback Chase Garbers, who started 33 games in his college career with the Golden Bears. Chase Garbers was a member of the Las Vegas Raiders but was cut by the team Sunday.

Schlee is a transfer from Kent State, where he was the starting quarterback for the program and earned third-team All-MAC honors in 2022. He threw for 2,109 yards and 13 touchdowns on a 59.0% completion percentage.

Moore is a true freshman out of Detroit. Considered one of the best recruits the Bruins have signed in recent memory, Moore was a Five-Star Plus+ recruit. The recognition means he was ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five-star player.

He ranked as the No. 3 recruit and No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.