The UCLA football team might have an issue with depth at quarterback for the 2019 season, but come 2020 they are going to be loaded. Is it better to have more players, or does it leave the door open for more exits from the program?
It could be a rocky season for the UCLA football team if their quarterbacks fall victim to injuries like they did last year. Though the Bruins have reliable backups, they are pretty thin and do not have a lot of experience.
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A year ago, UCLA head coach Chip Kelly brought in Wilton Speight, and many wondered why. We quickly saw that Speight’s experience became a useful tool with the Bruins’ offense in flux. His knowledge and leadership helped bring the offense closer together, and by season’s end, we saw that they were able to move the ball down the field more efficiently.
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That experience will be missed in 2019, but luckily Speight has passed on some of his knowledge to Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Austin Burton, the only returning QBs from last season.
Though the Bruins will be adding some depth to the QBs this year as Chase Griffin as joined the program, they still do not possess a signal caller that has played a full season of college football.
So it should be noted that as of now, UCLA is young and lacks experience. That will change in the coming seasons.
On Monday, it was announced that the Bruins were bringing in a transfer from Washington, Colson Yankoff. Because of this, he will have to miss 2019 due to transfer rules but will be eligible to play in 2020.
The QB depth chart will be quite loaded that season as current commit Parker McQuarrie would join the team as a true freshman (pending he signs with UCLA).
UCLA Quarterback Depth for the Next Five Years
- 2019: Thompson-Robinson (So), Burton (R-So), Griffin (Fr)
- 2020: Thompson-Robinson (Jr), Burton (R-Jr), Griffin (So), Yankoff (R-So), McQuarrie (Fr)
- 2021: Thompson-Robinson (Sr), Burton (R-Sr), Griffin (Jr), Yankoff (R-Jr), McQuarrie (So)
- 2022: Griffin (Sr), Yankoff (R-Sr), McQuarrie (Jr)
- 2023: McQuarrie (Sr)
Looking at what the Bruins will have in the next five years, it is evident that they will have a lot to choose from. Though we do not expect this to be the actual depth chart (we have to take into account additions via recruiting and transfers and exits from the program), this is what the depth and class standings would be if each quarterback went through UCLA using every remaining year of eligibility, do not have a severe injury and do not redshirt.
If any QBs do redshirt, I would expect it to be the incoming freshmen after their first season. For example, Griffin after 2019 and McQuarrie after 2020. That would give the Bruins two quarterbacks for 2023 (Griffin as a R-Sr and McQuarrie as a R-Jr).
What we can take from this is that DTR and Burton will be here for at least the next two years. If DTR’s development skyrockets, then I do not expect him to hang around for his senior season in 2021. That leaves four QBs for that year, and unless Burton blows everyone away, we could see one of the other three steps up.
At that point, will one or two of the QBs decide to transfer if they do not see playing time? It is a possibility. Either way, by 2021, Chip Kelly will need to start bringing in more QBs and knowing how he recruits, they will be either high school prospects or transfers.
The bottom line is that UCLA is doing okay. Though it would be nice to see one QB play consistently for a few years, have multiple options would be okay.