UCLA Football: Chip Kelly Impressed by True Freshman Quarterback's Maturity
The 2023 UCLA Bruins will look a bit different. It will be their last season in the Pac-12, and everyone will look at them to see how they finish it.
One area in particular where they will have a new face is the quarterback position. After five years of Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA will have a new quarterback under center starting this season.
UCLA has plenty of options to go with, and even though head coach Chip Kelly has yet to name a starter, true freshman quarterback Dante Moore is in the lead in many people's eyes.
Kelly will have the guys duel it out in camp until he makes his decision, but he shared that he loves how wise he is for his age.
“He’s got a unique quality about him,” Kelly said. “He enjoys and is very grateful for the opportunity that he’s been presented. He’s always thankful. He’s a ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ guy. He’s got a unique nature about him. I think he inherently understands that. I don’t think he judges his life on what other people’s opinions are. That’s to me what ‘praise and blame is all the same’ means. Whether someone is complimenting on what you did or someone is detracting. The person that matters most is you. What is your opinion of yourself?
“I’ve always said I’m not governed by the fear of what other people say. You have to look at yourself in the mirror and feel like you put in a good day’s work, and if you did, put your head down on the pillow and get up and do it again. Dante lives that every day. It’s really cool that someone at that age already understands that. He’s really wise beyond his years.”
Moore is expected to start before the start of camp, but anything can happen. Nonetheless, the praise he receives from his coach could go a long way.
The incoming freshman would have some huge shoes to fill if he were to start, and it would need to happen fast as they want to leave the Pac-12 on a high note.
The type of guy Kelly is describing is precisely who you want to lead your team. Moore seems to have all the qualities to lead this team to victory, and if that's the case, I'm sure people would be okay with him being the QB1 at the start of the season.
