Chip Kelly has been on an upward trajectory with UCLA football for a couple of years now and many believe that the 2023 season could be his best yet.
Although the Bruins are losing Dorian Thompson-Robinson, they’re bringing in Kent State quarterback transfer Collin Schlee and five-star Dante Moore to compete with Ethan Garbers for the starting job this season. No one is too worried about the quarterback position taking a step back with that trio.
The Bruins are bringing in a top 25 recruiting class to go along with the No. 6 class of transfers in college football. Which of these newcomers will help the Bruins compete for a Pac-12 title in their last season in the conference?
A former All-MAC defensive back will be starting in the secondary for UCLA next season and he’s exactly what this defense needs.
Jordan Anderson had a successful four-year career at Bowling Green before deciding to spend his grad transfer year in the Pac-12. He was on the Jim Thorpe Award watch list in 2022, he was a preseason first-team All-MAC selection by multiple publications, and he was named to the All-MAC third team in 2021.
Over the course of his Bowling Green career, he racked up 180 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, and 20 pass breakups. He’s going to add an upgrade to that UCLA secondary at the safety position and he could be a legit All-Pac-12 candidate right away.
Kyle Ford was one of those players that I expected to be a star out of high school. He was a borderline five-star receiver out of Orange, Calif., and the fit at USC just made sense. He was joining a program that was known for producing elite receivers and he figured to be the next one.
But he just never lived up to the expectations. A lot of that had to do with multiple knee injuries.
Ford is, however, coming off his best season yet and deciding to transfer to a program that could utilize his services more will be beneficial. The 6-2, 225-pound receiver has played just 20 games since his knee injuries in 2019 and 2020 and he has 39 catches for 617 yards and four touchdowns. It just feels like his confidence is building.
You might be wondering why I have Ford as one of the “biggest impact” guys on the team heading into next season with just 21 career games under his belt, and it’s because his potential is limitless and he’s just never been able to stay healthy enough to prove just how good he can be.
Ford will be a legit WR1 option next season.
This one was an easy choice for me. Dante Moore may not officially be the starter yet, but I think he’s going to win the job before it’s all said and done.
Like I stated earlier, it’s going to take a lot for him to beat out Kent State transfer Collin Schlee and Ethan Garbers, but if he can win that job, it’ll be more than earned. That’s a really good quarterback room and UCLA fans have been spoiled by the play at that position over the course of the past few years.
Moore is a five-star quarterback from Detroit and one that many would consider a college-ready passer. He could be an immediate star for any program, but he flipped from Oregon to UCLA and Chip Kelly won a huge recruiting battle against his former school.
UCLA is going to benefit massively here and he’s going to be a star in 2023.
I think Moore is capable of putting the offense on his back and leading the Bruins to big things as a freshman.