UCLA spring football storylines: Moving on from the Dorian Thompson-Robinson era

Fresh off the best season of the Chip Kelly era, UCLA football finds itself undergoing a bit of a reboot.

The move to the Big Ten looms large amid what amounts to a season-long farewell to the Pac-12, a new defensive coordinator has been brought in, and longtime starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is off to the NFL after elevating the program over the course of his record-setting five seasons under center.

Luckily for Kelly, the school’s brass has rewarded him with a contract extension this offseason through 2027, a show of faith that he can not only maintain the current status quo in Westwood but continue to elevate it on the current trajectory. The Bruins have work to do this spring if they want to keep things humming along, however, with particular attention needing to be paid to eliminating the mental mistakes that plagued them in tough second-half losses to Arizona, USC and Pitt in three of their last four games.  

With that as a backdrop, here are some key storylines to keep an eye on in Westwood as UCLA begins spring practice in early April:

Passing the baton

Thompson-Robinson didn’t win as many games as some of his predecessors, but he will go down in the hearts and minds of many UCLA fans as one of their favorite quarterbacks of recent vintage for the way he consistently battled and led the team back into prominence out West.

As the only starting signal-caller that Kelly has really known in the program, however, his absence will be keenly felt this spring as life after DTR begins in earnest with a good old-fashioned quarterback battle pitting three very different contenders.

As the only incumbent with knowledge of the offensive system, Ethan Garbers has been the primary backup the past two seasons and is hopeful that a good set of 15 practices can help solidify himself atop the depth chart. He took over for DTR a handful of times and led a late go-ahead drive in the Sun Bowl, so it figures he’ll get the early first-team snaps before competition intensifies. Garbers’ past play suggests he has a perfectly nice floor as a potential starter but also is probably the most limited in terms of ceiling.

Also entering the fray is former Kent State starter Collin Schlee. The junior threw for 2,109 yards and 17 total touchdowns last season and was certainly battle-tested with road contests at Washington, Oklahoma and Georgia, where he tossed three touchdown passes. Even at 6-foot-3, he brings an added element in the run game, averaging more than 5 yards per carry. He should be a quality depth option if he’s unable to win the job outright.

All eyes, however, will be on true freshman Dante Moore. The five-star recruit was a late surprise flip from Kelly’s old haunt of Oregon and gives the program a player to build around as they transition leagues. The Detroit native is a little more of a pocket passer than most would expect given his frame, but he has all the tools you look for. He is enrolling early to give himself a better shot to start right away, not unlike DTR did years ago.

Unless one of the trio blows the staff away this spring, coaches will likely ensure this competition lasts until camp in August, but the expectation is that Moore eventually takes hold of the reigns and wins the gig permanently.

Refreshed defense

Last season, UCLA won games in much the same way they had in years past under Kelly: with an explosive offense and a passable-at-best defense. The Bruins gave up 29 points per game (90th in FBS) and had the 14th-worst effort against the pass.

Playing against so many prolific attacks in Pac-12 play will contribute to that of course, but it didn’t help that defensive coordinator Bill McGovern missed the final six weeks of the season with health issues and was unable to be there for critical moments on game days as a veteran playcaller.

McGovern will slide over into an on-field role for 2023 to remain with the program, with D’Anton Lynn taking over as defensive coordinator. The 33-year-old is among the youngest college coaches to run a defense and arrives after having served as the Baltimore Ravens safeties coach.

While there is bound to be some learning on the job, the good news for Lynn is that the two-deep is stocked with upperclassmen who have plenty of experience under their belt. Pass rusher Laiatu Latu returns after resurrecting his career, earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors after notching 10.5 sacks, while transfers such as Cal linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo and Bowling Green safety Jordan Anderson will only add to the competition on that side of the ball.

Transfer time

UCLA’s social media team caught a bit of flack from their head coach last year when they posted a since-deleted graphic that labeled the program ‘Transfer U.’ The post was highlighting the fact that the Bruins had become prolific in starting players who had arrived out of the portal and — the impact on high school recruiting aside — it’s hard not to agree with the sentiment given how many key contributors have made their second stop a successful one in Westwood.

That should end up being the case yet again, as Kelly dipped liberally into the transfer market to replace a number of key veterans who either left for the NFL or exhausted their eligibility.

In addition to the aforementioned Schlee, Oladejo and Anderson, the team will try to get as many as a dozen transfers up to speed this spring on how things work within the team. That includes players from a diverse set of backgrounds that includes Princeton punter Will Powers from the FCS ranks, Purdue guard Spencer Holstege out of the Power 5, intra-conference transfer and ex-Oregon tight end Moliki Matavao, plus first-team All-MAC running back Carson Steele from Ball State.

While all will don the power blue with aims of making an impact, the aptly-nicknamed “Man of Steele” may wind up playing the biggest role for the team once he picks up the offense. Not only will carries be plentiful with Zach Charbonnet gone and a new quarterback set to start, but the junior from Indiana arrives out West having finished eighth in the country in rushing with 1,556 yards with the Cardinals.

Bryan Fischer is a college football writer for FOX Sports. He has been covering college athletics for nearly two decades at outlets such as NBC Sports, CBS Sports, Yahoo! Sports and NFL.com among others. Follow him on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.

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