Garbers wins Bruins’ backup quarterback job
LOS ANGELES >> Ethan Garbers is listed as the backup quarterback for UCLA’s home opener against Hawaii on Saturday afternoon at the Rose Bowl.
The Corona del Mar High alumnus benefited from the Pac-12 Conference voting to eliminate the intraconference transfer rule, after transferring from Washington, and was granted immediate eligibility in May.
“He got a chance to really pick up what we’ve done offensively,” coach Chip Kelly said. “We’re excited if Ethan goes in the game that we don’t have to make any adjustments in terms of play-calling and things like that.”
Garbers being listed as the only backup quarterback on the two-deep depth chart, which was released Monday, suggests he won the job outright.
“Ethan is really sharp,” Kelly said. “He’s a really intelligent kid and has a year of college football experience.”
Kelly spoke highly of Garbers’ accuracy, velocity and decision-making during practice. His teammates are also impressed and confident in what they’ve seen during the short time he’s been on campus.
“He’s earned that since coming in from Washington and shown a lot of poise and confidence in the pocket,” receiver Chase Cota said. “I think he’s a good guy for us. If he has to come in during the first game, I’m not nervous about (the offense) taking a step back or slowing down at all.”
While he’s listed as a redshirt freshman, Garbers will still have five years to play four because the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to all players who participated during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He did not play a single snap for the Huskies while Dylan Morris started as a redshirt freshman.
Garbers’ last significant playing time came in high school, when he led his team to a 16-0 season and CIF State title in 2019 while throwing for 71 touchdowns and 5,034 yards.
In 2020, both Chase Griffin and Chase Artopoeus were listed in the second spot together whenever Dorian Thompson-Robinson was the starter. Griffin and Artopoeus did return this season to compete for that backup role.
The backup role has held significance because Thompson-Robinson has missed at least one game in each of the last two seasons.
Griffin saw meaningful time last season, earning two starts while Thompson-Robinson was out due to COVID-19 contact tracing. Griffin came off the bench, completing nine of 11 passes and throwing four touchdowns in the season finale against Stanford after Thompson-Robinson left the game with an injury.
Thompson-Robinson recently missed eight practices over a 10-day span during fall camp for “personal reasons,” which led to an equal number of reps with the first- and secondteam offense between Griffin and Garbers.
Depth-chart examination
The two-deep depth chart did answer some questions but also created others about experienced players, such as defensive back Jay Shaw, not being listed.
Shaw started all seven games at cornerback in 2020 and tied for the teamhigh with two interceptions. He recorded a seasonbest seven tackles and returned an interception for a 39-yard touchdown against Stanford.
He was seen working with the first- and secondteam defense throughout spring ball and fall camp.
“Jay is in the mix,” Kelly said. “You can only list two (on the depth chart) but we’re going to rotate . ... Jay is going to play a lot of football for us.”
True freshman Devin Kirkwood earned a spot as a backup cornerback behind Cameron Johnson.
Johnson played in 47 games at North Texas and recorded 49 tackles, an interception and forced a fumble in eight starts in 2020.
Kelly also expects to use a lot of players because of the hot weather expected Saturday.
It remains unclear whether linebacker Damian Sellers will be one of those after he was seen sidelined at the start of Wednesday’s practice.
He started five games at outside linebacker as a true freshman but also saw time at inside linebacker throughout the spring. He was not listed on the depth chart.
True freshman Garrett DiGiorgio was listed as the backup at left tackle behind veteran Sean Rhyan. Kelly has been impressed with the Serrano High product since his arrival in the summer.
“(DiGiorgio is) a kid we were excited about during the recruiting process,” Kelly said. “He’s picked things up very quickly and has given himself the opportunity (to be in the rotation.)”
Injury report
Defensive linemen Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi, offensive lineman Siale Taupaki and running back Christian Grubb were also seen on the sideline during the early part of Wednesday’s practice along with Sellers.
Grubb tweeted that he returned to the team facilities Tuesday for the first time since having an undisclosed surgery four months ago. He said he still had several months of rehab ahead before he’s fully recovered and expects to miss the 2021 season.