UCLA Football: Former Bruins QB Earns Starting Role Elsewhere

Valentina Martinez | Aug 23, 2024

Dec 16, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Collin Schlee (9) scrambles out of the pocket and heads toward the endzone against the Boise State Broncos during the third quarter of the Starco Brands LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Former Bruin Collin Schlee was named as Virginia Tech's backup quarterback, head coach Brent Pry told the media following Wednesday's practice.

"Just performance-based, and not that we're disappointed in Pop [Watson]. He's done some good things, he's improved," Pry said. "He had a minor injury setback, but Collin's been very impressive. Particularly, not being with us as much this summer. He's a good student of the game, and he's got a nice arm and he's athletic. He can run our offense. Again, it's not necessarily a knock on Pop as much as it is a compliment to Collin."

The announcement was no surprise given Watson is a redshirt freshman and Schlee has many years of collegiate football under his belt.

Schlee is a veteran player with a ton of experience on the gridiron. Standing at 6-foot-3, the quarterback started his college career at Kent State.

The quarterback finished among the top ten at Kent State in single-season passing yards with a total of 2,109 yards. Schlee played four seasons there before transferring to UCLA in 2023.

In his one season donning the Blue and Gold, he competed in seven games and made two starts. Against Arizona State, Schlee threw for a season-high 117 yards and a touchdown as a starter. His other start was against Boise State in the LA Bowl. Schlee ran for a season-best 127 yards and threw for 78 yards and a score.

Schlee will back up Hokies star quarterback Kyron Drones. Schlee likely won't see much action on the field if Drones stays healthy throughout the season. But if Schlee is needed, he has a similar build and skill set to Drones which keeps a consistent style for the offense.

As for the Bruins, UCLA takes on Hawaii on Aug. 31. The team is preparing to travel to the island in a few days.

Bruins head coach DeShaun Foster will set the tone early for the new regime in Westwood. Unlike several UCLA coaches before him, Foster will not continue the tradition of wearing a tropical shirt when the Bruins take on Hawaii.

“We’re not on vacay,” Foster told Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday. “You know, bowl games, it’s a different feel; this is our first game — people are always saying this is their Super Bowl [but] this is ours too, you know. We want to get this started off on the right foot.”

The team looks ready to compete in the season opener and UCLA fans are eager to see the new regime in action.