UCLA Football: Chip Kelly Explains Thought Behind Stocking Up QBs

Chip Kelly reveals the purpose behind going heavy on signing QBs.

Despite the fact that Chip Kelly has placed his faith in Ethan Garbers being the starter for the UCLA Bruins in the 2024 season, the team still secured two more QBs during signing day. 

Kelly is banking on the idea that you could never have enough, which is an ideal that could be the deciding factor on whether the Bruins can make a deeper run in the Big Ten Conference. 

When the season started, Kelly had to get inventive with his QB rotations as Ethan Garbers, Dante Moore, Collin Schlee, and Chase Griffin all saw playing time because of injuries. This could be why Kelly is adding some extra insurance. 

“Only one kid plays,” Kelly said, “so you never want to be caught short-handed and be scrambling looking for a kid in June when you passed on a good kid in December.”

Via 

Chip Kelly, LA Times

Even the LA Bowl game came with some struggles as Collin Schlee started, but was injured. This resulted in Garbers entering the game, despite also still having some lingering injuries. 

Kelly knows the value of having a deep QB room in case injuries happen. However, he also knows that gems can be found via developing players. One kid may start, but that kid could easily be replaced or injured. 

Instead of having to scramble next season to find a suitable replacement or depth, Kelly would rather hedge his bets and secure extra help early on. It's a move that could act as a double-edged sword. 

Having too many QBs means the team might be lacking depth in other concern areas. Then again, the potential to have said QBs be injured means you also have the depth to replace or start someone new. 

We will see if his gamble pays off next season, and if any of the new young players can surpass what Ethan Garbers has been able to do.