The UCLA football program has undergone just short of a total rebuild in this offseason.
The Bruins went into the offseason with many unknowns after a lackluster first season in the Big Ten Conference. Not much was certain about what the coaching staff or roster would look like after a 5-7 overall record and a 3-6 mark in their inaugural Big Ten season.
Starting quarterback Ethan Garbers had exhausted his college eligibility and backup quarterback Justyn Martin — expected to be the leading candidate to replace Garbers — entered the transfer portal and eventually ended up at Maryland.
“I can’t talk for (Martin), but he did a great job for us here,” UCLA head coach DeShaun Foster told reporters in early December. “He’s been here for three years and he was able to graduate, so that shows how intelligent he is as a kid. My hat’s off to him.”
Martin’s departure cleared the way for the arrival of Joey Aguilar, whom UCLA plucked from the portal. The Bruins lured the 6-foot-3 signal-caller back to his home state after the former star at Freedom High in Antioch set records for Appalachian State and threw for 3,003 yards and 23 touchdowns in his senior campaign.
Aguilar posted an optimistic Bible verse, Jeremiah 29:11, on Instagram after his commitment was made official.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future,’” he posted.
But Aguilar isn’t the only quarterback that could contend for the starting position — and UCLA also has a new offensive coordinator in Tino Sunseri who has the opportunity to evaluate all of the Bruins’ options from scratch.
UCLA is slowly filling in the blanks in its roster and coaching staff ahead of spring practices, which will likely start in early April.
Here’s a full breakdown of UCLA’s quarterback room entering spring practice, the first in a six-part series examining the post-portal outlook for every part of the roster.
Quarterback
Returning: Dermaricus Davis, Fr.; Henry Hasselbeck, Fr.; Luke Duncan, R-Fr.; Karson Gordon, Fr., (possibly switching from WR to QB).
Arriving: Joey Aguilar (transfer, Appalachian State), Robert McDaniel (three-star 2025 signee), Colton Gumino (three-star 2025 signee).
Departing: Justyn Martin (transfer, Maryland), Ethan Garbers (exhausted eligibility), Chase Griffin (exhausted eligibility), Nick Billoups (exhausted eligibility).
Who will mesh with Tino Sunseri?
Sunseri was officially announced as UCLA’s next offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Dec. 12, making him the Bruins’ third offensive coordinator in as many seasons. He’s already visited Westwood to meet with coaches and players but will fully have his boots on the ground when spring practices start in April.
There is already a connection between Sunseri and Aguilar. The transfer quarterback said he chose UCLA because of Sunseri and Foster, according to reports, and that Sunseri saw him play when he was quarterbacks coach at James Madison.
“Both guys I feel like can develop me as a player and get me to the next step,” Aguilar told ESPN. “Both coaches are competitors, and I love what they are doing with the program.”
Do the returners have a shot?
Aguilar’s commitment made a huge splash, but the Bruins returners shouldn’t be overlooked. UCLA could choose to go with a completely fresh start with a quarterback that they’re already familiar with, although none of the returners have played significant minutes for the Bruins just yet.
Luke Duncan took third-string repetitions during spring practices in 2024. If the Bruins are looking for athleticism, Karson Gordon could be a solid option. He switched to receiver for the 2024 season but Foster said that he could make the transition back to quarterback. Over the summer, Gordon won a silver medal in triple jump at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima with a leap of 16.74 meters.
The quarterback room will be brimming with competition this spring. Aguilar has to win over his teammates, the returners have to prove themselves, and the incoming freshmen will be fighting for attention. High-pressure competition will bring out the best — or worst — in each of them.
Dermaricus Davis, who prepped at Etiwanda High School, is the only former four-star recruit in the group — the rest were three-star recruits. UCLA will have to decide who can give the Bruins their best shot in a 2025 Big Ten Conference schedule that includes heavyweights like Penn State and Ohio State, which are both in the running for a national championship.
