Chip Kelly, UCLA need to hand keys to the Bruins' offense to 5-star QB Dante Moore now

Three blue-blood programs infamously switching conferences in 2024 have generated all sorts of spring storylines. Ever since the 2022 season ended, USC, Texas and Oklahoma have constantly been in the news. 

And there’s UCLA. 

If a Bruin knocked down a tree in Westwood this spring, I don’t think it would make a sound, because no one was there to see it. 

For the third straight year, Chip Kelly opted not to hold a traditional spring game, treating practice No. 15 just like the first 14. The Bruins’ recent results — 17-8 the last two seasons vs. 10-21 in the first three years — suggest that hasn’t been a poor strategy, but for a program lacking buzz before a major conference move next season, it’s still a bit odd. 

But that’s why UCLA has issues with fan support and too many empty seats in the Rose Bowl.

Perhaps one player can change that though before the Bruins leave the Pac-12 for Big Ten country. 

Since taking over UCLA’s program in 2018, Chip Kelly has had the same starting quarterback for almost every game over the last five years: Dorian Thompson-Robinson.

It’s time for a new trigger man in Los Angeles.  

This spring, UCLA held a five-man competition to replace the school’s all-time leader in yards, passing yards, touchdowns and completions, with 2021-22 backup Ethan Garbers competing with Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, veteran Chase Griffin, freshman Justyn Martin and 5-star signee Dante Moore. 

For all intents and purposes, it’s really a three-horse race between Garbers, Schlee and Moore. 

There’s a case to be made for each quarterback to start in 2023, especially for an offense in transition that not only is breaking in a new QB but must also replace the production of star tailback Zach Charbonnet, who led the Pac-12 in rushing yards (1,359), yards per carry (6.97) and touches per game (nearly 20). 

Garbers has been in the system for three years. Schlee started 11 games for the Golden Flashes in 2022, finishing the season with just over 2,000 yards, 13 touchdowns and five picks. He completed just 59% of his passes but he does provide some dual-threat abilities as a runner, with 710 career rushing yards and eight touchdowns. 

And then there’s Dante Moore. 

Chip Kelly famously flipped the 5-star recruit — and No. 3 overall prospect in the On3 rankings — from Oregon back in December, with Moore opting to play college football in LA over Eugene precisely because he saw a quicker path to the field. 

Is that still the case? It needs to be.  

As the Bruins exited spring practice, their QB derby is nowhere near decided, per their head coach. Kelly talked openly about taking the competition into game week in the fall, and even joked with a reporter just last week that, “You’ve thought about (UCLA’s QB battle) more than I have.”

I doubt that. 

Over the next four months, Kelly has an interesting — and telling — decision to make. 

Does he roll with a safer option in Garbers or Schlee, lowering UCLA’s ceiling in 2023 but holding the team’s floor after its best season since he took over the program?

Or does he go with the firework option and play the ballyhooed freshman who has dual-threat ability and a lightning-quick release that’s perfect for a Chip Kelly offense?

The answer might depend on how much job security Kelly believes he has, but I think Kelly would be best served — in 2023 and for the future — turning over the keys to the offense to his shiniest new toy. Sooner rather than later.

With apologies to Ethan Garber or Collin Schlee, they are not the future of UCLA’s offense. This is not a Joe Milton to Nico Iamaleava natural transition situation. Or even a Dillion Gabriel versus Jackson Arnold deal. 

If Dante Moore isn’t the team’s starting quarterback in their 2024 Big Ten opener next season then something has gone wrong in Westwood. 

So with that in mind, Kelly — and UCLA’s program — should do everything it can to position Moore for success between now and then. Kelly has credited the freshman with his poise and maturity, and that should only benefit Moore in making the transition from high school hot-shot to future QB1 in Los Angeles.

If the competition is even or otherwise, then Moore’s upside should tip the scales and Kelly should tab the freshman the starter Week 1 against Coastal Carolina. Live with the lumps, while bettering for the future. 

If Kelly chooses the safer route, then Moore still needs to be getting regular game reps. He needs live experience in 2023 before the competition stiffens next fall. 

The Bruins are considered a darkhorse Pac-12 contender. Their over/under win total is around 8.5 — just one game off from crosstown rival USC’s (9.5). They have a solid receiver room and retooled defense (with a new, young DC), but if they have any hope of entering the Big Ten with a runway of momentum or juice, Dante Moore needs to be piloting that plane — sooner rather than later.