Phall
Master
Between 2005 and 2012, UCLA started 7, 7, 9, 10, 8, 4, 8, and 9 white players. No write-ups were done between 2013 and 2015. Between 2016-2019 they started 6, 8, 3, and 4. (2020 season was cancelled). Since 2021, they've started 7, 4, 9, and now 6. Without a white running back, this is no longer a very interesting team to follow.
Although UCLA is a famous brand in a desirable location, the football program is downstream of the major college powers. Chip Kelly resigned as the head coach to take the offensive coordinator role at Ohio State. He was on proverbial thin ice after a middling 2023 season. Now, the Bruins welcome their first Black African-American head coach, former player Deshaun Foster. Foster was not exactly in high demand as a head coach but was seen as a worthwhile dice roll as an internal promotion. Joining the Big Ten probably bakes two more losses into UCLA’s record, so there likely won’t be much honeymoon.
Ethan Garbers gets another nod as the Week One starter, although this year he should not be yanked early barring injury. If he does go down, two blacks are ahead of the white freshmen on the depth chart.
Logan Loya is also a familiar name at slot receiver that should add more to his career highlight reel.
Kain Medrano is also a returning multi-year starter and one of the few Bruins who would also start for most of the opponent teams. Another case of the sole white defensive starter being the best player on the unit.
We are missing Carson Steele, Colson Yankoff, Carsen Ryan, Colin Schlee, and Chip Kelly from last year's team, but some would say the biggest name absent is black “phenom” quarterback Dante Moore, who transferred to Oregon. Moore was a heavy lean to sign with Michigan out of high school, but pulled a surprise “reveal” by picking Oregon on signing day. Soon after, he pulled another switcheroo because UCLA had apparently offered him even more money. Chip Kelly swung for the fences to recruit a little bit out of his program’s depth. In doing so, he committed to early playing time for Moore, which created a revolving door in the QB room. Moore played poorly in three of the five team losses, and you have to wonder what a Garbers/Schlee tandem could have managed instead. If Moore spends 2023 at Oregon or Michigan, he sits behind Bo Nix or JJ McCarthy and has a solid chance to take the reins as a sophomore. If Chip Kelly goes 10-3 instead of 8-5, he never feels the “hot seat” and perhaps lets UCLA reload rather than rebuild as they enter the Big Ten. Moore will sit again in 2024 behind Dillon Gabriel, ironically citing “quarterback development” as his reason for leaving (again). It seems like no one is better off from last year’s misadventure.
Starters
QB: Ethan Garbers
WR: Logan Loya
OL:Spencer Holstege, Josh Carlin, Garrett DiGiorgio
LB: Kain Medrano
PR: Logan Loya
Backups
QB: Luke Duncan, Henry Hasselbeck
WR: Braden Pegan
FB: Peter Barrio, Leo Kemp
OL: Caleb Walker, Michael Carmody
TE: Hudson Habermehl, Jack Pederson, Michael Churich
DL: Jacob Busic, Grant Buckey
LB: Carson Schwesinger
Although UCLA is a famous brand in a desirable location, the football program is downstream of the major college powers. Chip Kelly resigned as the head coach to take the offensive coordinator role at Ohio State. He was on proverbial thin ice after a middling 2023 season. Now, the Bruins welcome their first Black African-American head coach, former player Deshaun Foster. Foster was not exactly in high demand as a head coach but was seen as a worthwhile dice roll as an internal promotion. Joining the Big Ten probably bakes two more losses into UCLA’s record, so there likely won’t be much honeymoon.
Ethan Garbers gets another nod as the Week One starter, although this year he should not be yanked early barring injury. If he does go down, two blacks are ahead of the white freshmen on the depth chart.
Logan Loya is also a familiar name at slot receiver that should add more to his career highlight reel.
Kain Medrano is also a returning multi-year starter and one of the few Bruins who would also start for most of the opponent teams. Another case of the sole white defensive starter being the best player on the unit.
We are missing Carson Steele, Colson Yankoff, Carsen Ryan, Colin Schlee, and Chip Kelly from last year's team, but some would say the biggest name absent is black “phenom” quarterback Dante Moore, who transferred to Oregon. Moore was a heavy lean to sign with Michigan out of high school, but pulled a surprise “reveal” by picking Oregon on signing day. Soon after, he pulled another switcheroo because UCLA had apparently offered him even more money. Chip Kelly swung for the fences to recruit a little bit out of his program’s depth. In doing so, he committed to early playing time for Moore, which created a revolving door in the QB room. Moore played poorly in three of the five team losses, and you have to wonder what a Garbers/Schlee tandem could have managed instead. If Moore spends 2023 at Oregon or Michigan, he sits behind Bo Nix or JJ McCarthy and has a solid chance to take the reins as a sophomore. If Chip Kelly goes 10-3 instead of 8-5, he never feels the “hot seat” and perhaps lets UCLA reload rather than rebuild as they enter the Big Ten. Moore will sit again in 2024 behind Dillon Gabriel, ironically citing “quarterback development” as his reason for leaving (again). It seems like no one is better off from last year’s misadventure.
Starters
QB: Ethan Garbers
WR: Logan Loya
OL:Spencer Holstege, Josh Carlin, Garrett DiGiorgio
LB: Kain Medrano
PR: Logan Loya
Backups
QB: Luke Duncan, Henry Hasselbeck
WR: Braden Pegan
FB: Peter Barrio, Leo Kemp
OL: Caleb Walker, Michael Carmody
TE: Hudson Habermehl, Jack Pederson, Michael Churich
DL: Jacob Busic, Grant Buckey
LB: Carson Schwesinger
