UCLA Football 2022 Positional Preview: Quarterbacks
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With UCLA football's offseason winding down, it's time to start looking ahead to the 2022 campaign and what lies ahead for the Bruins on the gridiron. Before scouting opponents and projecting the Pac-12 pecking order, it's best to look within by picking apart how UCLA will shape up on its own sidelines.
All Bruins will be breaking down every position group over the next two weeks, and the quarterbacks are up first.
Depth Chart
QB 1: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, super senior
QB 2: Ethan Garbers, redshirt sophomore
QB 3: Justyn Martin, freshman
QB 4: Chase Griffin, senior
QB 5: Chase Artopoeus, redshirt junior
The Bruins haven't had a true quarterback battle in five years, and they certainly didn't have one in 2022.
Thompson-Robinson was the unchallenged starter all the way back in 2019, and he's only gotten better since then. After coming in and struggling to adjust to the college game as a true freshman and sophomore, Thompson-Robinson has managed to become one of the most efficient and productive quarterbacks in the West ever since.
Across 16 games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Thompson-Robinson threw for 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 63.2% completion and a 154.7 passer rating. The 6-foot-1 signal-caller has also improved as a runner, racking up 915 yards and 12 touchdowns in that same span while surpassing Marcus Mariota for the highest career rushing grade by a Pac-12 quarterback in the PFF era.
Thompson-Robinson led the conference in total touchdowns, total yards per game, total yards per play, passing yards per attempt, adjusted passing yards per attempt, touchdown-to-turnover ratio, passer rating and PFF quarterback grade in 2021.
Garbers will once again stand in as the backup, ready to go if or when Thompson-Robinson goes down with an injury. Garbers drew the start against Utah last year, and he came in to close out the Oregon game when Thompson-Robinson left that one, so he could very easily see the field again this year.
Although he isn't a world-breaker or home run hitter, Garbers is everything you can ask for in a college backup, and he surely leads the race for the 2023 starting job barring any major shakeups.
Martin will be Garbers' top competition in that race next fall, considering the hype he came to Westwood with and how much he is already improving. The 6-foot-4, 222-pound former four-star recruit has already tightened up his mechanics and release since arriving in the spring, so while he is probably too raw to see the field this year, he is going to be a big part of the team's future.
Griffin has slipped back considerably since filling in admirably for Thompson-Robinson in 2020. While he likely won't see the field at all in 2022, he seems to be a good presence in the quarterback room in terms of his personality, leadership and knowledge of the playbook.
Artopoeus will slot right back in as the scout team quarterback, which coach Chip Kelly has praised him for the past few seasons.
Predictions
Thompson-Robinson, having been joined at the hip with Kelly ever since he arrived in Westwood, is poised for another big year.
If he can stay healthy, make a bowl and adjust to a tweaked offense, this will be a career year for DTR.
Losing his top-three pass-catchers could throw a wrench in his linear improvement trend, as receiver Kyle Philips, tight end Greg Dulcich and receiver Chase Cota accounted for nearly two-thirds of the Bruins' receptions in 2021. Bringing in Duke transfer Jake Bobo and UCF transfer Titus Mokiao-Atimalala was big, though, and Kazmeir Allen, Kam Brown and Logan Loya could all see increased workloads as well.
There will likely be an increased emphasis on outside passes this season, which poses a new challenge to Thomspon-Robinson, but his deep ball has always been solid and he should be up to the task.
Based on the weaker competition early in the year, Thompson-Robinson should be able to rack up some big numbers in nonconference play. Even once the Pac-12 slate starts, there aren't too many defenses outside of Utah and Oregon that are truly equipped to slow him and the rest of the offense down.
Thompson-Robinson needs to throw 15 touchdowns to surpass Brett Hundley for the all-time school record, and he will do that with ease. He needs roughly 3,200 yards to best Cade McNown for most in program history, and he will probably come up just short on that unless he plays all 12 games, plus the Pac-12 championship and a bowl.
Something in the ballpark of 3,000 yards, 25 touchdowns and five interceptions sounds about right for Thompson-Robinson, who could finally break the 160.0 passer rating mark after falling a few points shy the last few years. Add in 750 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground, and he could end up being the favorite to win Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year.
If UCLA can take care of business against its light schedule and beat its top competition in Utah, Oregon and USC, Thompson-Robinson just might do enough to be a Davey O'Brien finalist by year's end. Pitt's Kenny Pickett came back for a fifth year in 2021, and after never posting a passer rating above 130, he bumped it all the way up to 165.3, became a Heisman finalist and was the first quarterback off the board in the NFL Draft.
While that's obviously a dream scenario for Thompson-Robinson, Pickett proved that it was possible to take a massive, nationally-relevant leap as a super senior. Thompson-Robinson can certainly approach some of those marks if the 2022 season goes off without a hitch, and he is well-positioned to go down as one of the best quarterbacks the Bruins have ever had regardless.
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