Ethan

Garbers

Garbers (6'3/210) handled himself well in his first start for the injured QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and he also rushed for 36 yards. The Bruins defense was gashed in the second quarter, falling behind 28-10, but Garbers helped the Bruins fight back and keep things reasonable until Utah again pulled away in the fourth quarter. It’s uncertain how much more time DTR will need to recover from whatever is ailing him, but he will now have two weeks with a bye. If he isn’t ready Nov. 13 against Colorado, Garbers would get the nod again.

Thompson-Robinson (6'1/205) injured his throwing hand during last weekend’s loss to Oregon, and it is wrapped up with protective tape/padding. No decision has been made regarding his availability for Saturday’s critical Pac-12 South matchup, so this will likely go down to the wire. If Thompson-Robinson is unable to play, Ethan Garbers would be the next man up for the Bruins.

It was an incredibly tough position for Garbers (6'3/210) to come in and try to salvage. Starting QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson as knocked out in the middle of the potentially game winning drive with 1:36 left in the game. Garbers came in and completed his first pass, and looked good throwing the ball (he had a big completion dropped, which was a great throw) until he didn’t. He stared down his receiver the whole way, and let the Oregon CB jump the route and end the game. Depending on the severity of DTR’s injury, it might be Garbers’ time to start versus Utah next week.

Garbers (6'3/210) transferred over from Washington in the spring and is wasting no time inserting himself into the quarterback rotation. With starting QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson still absent for undisclosed reasons, Garbers has been battling with Chase Griffin at practice, who started two games last season when DTR was out due to contact tracing. However it was the Washington transfer who raised eyebrows in early practice sessions with his decision making and accuracy. When asked for comment about Garbers’ performance at practice, HC Chip Kelly said “Sometimes when guys have really strong arms ... it doesn’t matter what the coverage is, they think they can get the ball in there. I just think he’s really smart and makes really good decisions in there.” UCLA opens up Week Zero on August 28 against Hawaii, so the sooner Thompson-Robinson returns, the better.

A four-star recruit in Washington’s recruiting class a year ago, Garbers (6'3/215) was in the mix to play for the Huskies this year before the program ultimately decided to go with Dylan Morris. Garbers, a Cali native, had an offer from UCLA out of high school, so it’s not too shocking that he ended up there. The challenge from Washington is similar to the situation with fellow UCLA transfer Colson Yankoff, who also had been blocked the season prior. The university is mounting an appeal, so this situation is still far from over.

Garbers is still sticking around on the west coast, just on the south side now. A four-star recruit in Washington’s recruiting class a year ago, Garbers (6'3/215) was in the mix to play for the Huskies this year before the program ultimately decided to start other players. Garbers, a Cali native, had an offer from UCLA out of high school, so it’s not too shocking that he ends up there now. Garbers did not play this season, therefore he can burn a redshirt and have all four years of eligibility to use.

Garbers was in the mix to play this year, but ultimately never saw the field. A four-star recruit in the 2020 class, Garbers (6'3/215) was one of the four QBs Washington listed as potential starters before the season. Garbers had offers from Colorado State, Boise State, Georgia, Miami (FL), and others coming out of high school, so the buzz around him in the transfer portal should be fairly high. Look out for Garbers to make a decision in the coming weeks.

It’s unknown why either wide receiver is out, and the same can be said for QB Ethan Garbers and linebackers Ryan Bowman, Cooper McDonald and Laiatu Latu. If any are dealing with COVID-19 related issues, be it a positive test or contact tracing protocols, the concern beyond that is whether or not they’ll be available for next weekend’s showdown with Oregon in Eugene.

The right to replace Jacob Eason is a four-man race, with redshirt senior Kevin Thomson, redshirt sophomore Jacob Sirmon, redshirt freshman Ethan Garbers and freshman Dylan Morris being the competitors. When asked if the team has been told who will start Saturday, Lake said that they have not. Why’s he taking this approach? It’s all about strategy. “Like I mentioned before, it really doesn’t help us to announce anything like that going into a game,” Lake said. “I know from a defensive perspective, if we know who the starting quarterback is then we can plan for that guy.” Thomson (6'2/200), a grad transfer from Sacramento State, is Washington’s most experienced quarterback but he has yet to play a game in the purple and gold.

Freshman Ethan Garbers (6'2/195) was listed first, but with the “or” designation accompanying all four quarterbacks, with Dylan Morris, Jacob Sirmon and Kevin Thomson listed in that order. This is the first depth chart released since new HC Jimmy Lake took over, so he’s clearly attempting to play the situation close to the vest. When asked about the quarterback competition, Lake said the team knows who the quarterback is and he’s not going to divulge that information until Saturday night when UW plays Cal in their season opener.