There are a lot of transfers looking at the UCLA football team now that Chip Kelly is in town. The latest is dual-threat QB Brandon Dawkins from Arizona.
When you get the power, everyone wants to be near you. The UCLA football team is finding that out in both recruiting, and now with in-coming transfers.
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When Chip Kelly came to Westwood, he brought a lot of intrigue as his last college football head coaching gig at Oregon wowed the nation as he revolutionized the game using speed and innovation. That fervor has followed him to UCLA and with that is the interest level of several players looking to make a change in their collegiate careers.
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The latest would be a big get for the Bruins as dual-threat QB (already sounds like a perfect fit for Kelly) Brandon Dawkins is transferring as a graduate from Arizona and is looking at the UCLA football program as a possible landing spot. This also means that he would be immediately eligible to play this fall.
Other teams that seem to be in the mix for Dawkins are Nebraska (who just hired Scott Frost, a Kelly mentee), Indiana and Florida Atlantic.
Dawkins was the favorite to lead the Wildcats in 2016, but an injury had him share time with up-and-comer Khalil Tate. In 2017, it was the Tate show in Tucson as Dawkins, who was still an incredible QB, saw less and less playing time and with Tate expected to continue as the #1 QB, it was in Dawkins’ best interest to transfer after he got his degree.
In seven games last season, Dawkins threw for 732 yards, had a pass completion of 61.4% (his best at Arizona for a season) and five touchdowns. And those are just his passing stats. Dawkins ran for 459 yards, averaged 6.7 yards per carry and added eight touchdowns. Now imagine him in Kelly’s system.
UCLA, Indiana, Nebraska and Florida Atlantic are among the schools showing interest in quarterback Brandon Dawkins, a graduate transfer from Arizona. Dawkins is planning to visit FAU and Indiana in the coming weeks. Dawkins passed for 2,418 yards and... https://t.co/lkA5wMcTy1
— Adam Rittenberg (@ESPNRittenberg) March 23, 2018
The only problem is that UCLA already has four potential #1 QBs. The Bruins return Devon Modster and Matt Lynch from last season, they have Washington grad transfer K.J. Carta-Samuels coming for the second part of spring practice and this fall, dual-threat high school superstar Dorian Thompson-Robinson joins the program.
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If Dawkins was to select the Bruins, Kelly will have one heck of a QB battle on his hands, but he would also have a lot of options. Intriguing, but very cluttered.