Collin Schlee says UCLA quarterback room is fun despite ongoing competition

The quarterback battle currently transpiring at UCLA during fall camp is a heated one, and one of the most important in the Pac-12 Conference, with many of the league’s top teams already solidified at the position.

But that’s not stopping the Bruins QBs from keeping things light in Los Angeles. Kent State transfer quarterback Collin Schlee is at the forefront of the quarterback competition, but said the vibes couldn’t be better in UCLA’s quarterback room.

“Fun, very fun,” Schlee said. “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.”

Naturally, Schlee was asked to elaborate on what makes the quarterback room so interesting, speaking on how their difference in backgrounds leads to a diverse group that’s always a good time.

“Very fun, we all come from different parts of the world,” Schlee explained. “So I come from all the way on the east coast, Garbs [Ethan Garbers] and them are all the way on the west coast, so you bring in six different people from six different places you’re gonna get a different type of group of people.”

Schlee joined UCLA this offseason after spending the last four seasons at Kent State. He didn’t receive much playing time for the Golden Flashes until last season where he threw for an impressive 2,109 yards and 13 touchdown passes, also picking up 492 yards on the ground and punching in four rushing scores.

Along with Garbers, he stands toe to toe with freshman quarterback Dante Moore for UCLA’s starting job, a highly touted high school prospect out of Martin Luther King high school in Detroit where he was ranked the No. 2 quarterback in the entire country for the 2023 class according to On3’s Industry Ranking. Both Moore and Schlee joined the Bruins this spring, learning the offense and competing through spring practice as well.

Head coach Chip Kelly previously mentioned that he plans on likely naming a starter closer to Week 1 of the season, waiting for one quarterback to naturally rise to the top throughout the duration of fall camp. And it will definitely be interesting to see who can separate themselves in Los Angeles and fill the shoes left behind by Dorian Thompson-Robinson in the Bruins’ final season in the Pac-12.