Chip Kelly’s first year in Los Angeles pitted graduate transfer Wilson Speight against true freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson in a competition for the starting quarterback job. As expected, Speight—who had notched 21 starts across three years at Michigan—won out over the untested Thompson-Robinson. Unfortunately, Speight was injured in the second quarter of the season opener against Cincinnati, derailing his season and ruining UCLA’s chances at any sort of stability at the position. Thompson-Robinson, although showing flashes of his athleticism, struggled to adjust to D1 competition across seven starts before suffering a shoulder injury against Arizona. It was then Speight who rode out the rest of a mostly forgettable season outside of a much-needed victory against Southern Cal.
2019 UCLA Football Fall Preview: Building a More Consistent QB Core
