UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers talks about growth in leadership skills

Growth in leadership skills the the headliner here uh so so speaking of which tell us about the process of becoming more vocal and more kind of outgoing leadership wise and and and doing all that with your teammates yeah you know um coming coming with the job you know you you got to step up and be that guy and this summer and in the offseason I just kind of took it upon myself you know just to lead these guys because you know last year we didn't really have a solidified leader on the offense and I came in this year and that's that's just was my goal just to get every everyone United and on the same page how does that process work how do you go about talking more in meetings and on the field and just little moments with teamm ag yeah you know it's uh it's it's pretty simple it's just being more vocal and like seriously if if you're talking out here the guys will listen especially if you know what you're talking about and I feel like I've been around uh this group of guys for a good amount of time and we have a good understanding and a good connection between each other so that obviously helps you told the bigon network this is your favorite Camp what's made it that way I'm assuming part of it cuz you know you're kind of the guy right that's probably a big part of it yeah definitely and uh I would just say with just with the new offense that coach benam has brought in you know it's uh it's a lot of fun for a quarterback and and you can you guys will be able to see that when we start playing some games and stuff but uh it's it's a great time for me I got a bunch of freedom and I can I can really play the position how I want how I want to have the coaches done anything to bom with you guys since you're up in Woodland Hills or how's that kind of work yeah we had um we had Woodland Hills a couple couple events you know we went to uh Fogo toel uh La a couple days ago we went to see the new Deadpool movie uh we went to BJ's Restaurant all we've been hanging out in the hotel you know just having a good time just a bunch of bonding getting together was your room you have a roommate yeah I I uh I lived with a FEI okay yeah so uh coach Foster wanted to do offense and defense together so we could uh bond with those guys in the side of the ball so is Woodland Hills over are you guys back now uh yes for back yeah uh watching you on Saturday looks like your comfort level has increased considerably in this offense uh where have you made the biggest strides in your understanding of what you need to do out there uh I would say you know just from the mental side of you know on every play knowing where where my starting point is knowing about the protection making sure that um I'm going to be safe on that play you know I think I've taken a huge jump from the spring in that and uh and just and then another thing is just like like he said before being a leader and and leading those guys um through the Finish Line do you feel like this team was kind of like looking for a leader like you said being Leadership vocal was just a matter of talking more but what do you think makes them listen to you um obviously it would be my position that would be the number one thing but what makes those guys listen to me is I feel like they've seen me play on the field they've been with me at practice they see how hard I've been working and how much this really means to me because I know this is my last year and a lot of those guys just there last year too so I'm not going to go in there and just let those guys give half effort or anything like that because it means too much to me for that for that to happen watching Titus through spring and now a couple weeks of fall Camp how much did you guys miss him last year and how much of an asset is it having him back yeah Titus is great uh he's an explosive receiver he's a deep threat and he can make all the cuts and get ins and outs of of every different route I mean he's a we we we had we had a chance last year to build up a little bit of a connection so but I'm excited for him to to get back and uh and and get going for what you what would you say is your level of uh grasping the offense right Learning the offense now I mean are you fully comfortable with it yeah I'm very I'm fully comfortable with with everything we got in we're still uh putting some stuff in here and there but uh I feel fully comfortable and and ready to go play a game you said that when the enemy started some guys couldn't even say the names of the plays were they technical plays or just what what did you mean by that they were just long and a little wordy but uh give me an example there one you could just uh I don't F we'll we'll talk about that later don't want to give anything out yet is there any shorthand that you like you know with like words you can obviously write things shorthand and things like that is there any way to like I guess simplify make yeah simplify things as you're learning um yeah I mean a little bit for me my process was I'm I'm a I'm a person who needs to write stuff down to learn it so I just have I have probably seven or eight notebooks full of just plays that I've just written down and just copying over and over again but um yeah that's pretty much the tool that I use but some guys are different obviously tight end's going to be a big part of this offense what are you seeing out of Bryce uh the addition of Bryce Pierre that BR has been great he's been phenomenal in the Run game uh getting his nose dirty you know that that's that's big for us because our tight ends need to block and then be able to catch um but he's been awesome too in the past game getting on routes he's fast he's got some speed on him which I like and uh his he's his hands are going good now we're just kind of building that chemistry and uh getting them comfortable in the offense with Josh at center now is there is there like a significant difference working with Josh as your Center versus Duke last year and is that something you had to adjust to I mean they're both they're both great players you know but uh yeah Josh Josh has been great moving him to Center's been awesome he's a big guy with a big frame it's it's nice to have that in front of me for sure um but yeah Josh has done an awesome job he's really smart guy like that that's a lot of thing people don't credit me he's a really smart guy he understands fronts and pressures very well and he's going to be a big asset for us for sure how confident are you in in their ability to kind of keep you playing you know not taking too many hits I'm fully confident you know I have 100% trust in all those guys and in coach Castillo because I mean I've seen all the work that they've put in and all the work that coach Castillo has done with them uh throughout the whole offseason until now and I'm sure it's visible to other people but from the spring until now you know we just made a huge jump I feel offensively as a collective and um I we're going in the right direction for sure you don't have the Early impressions of quarterbacks you know worry so much about starting or competing for that starting spot um what's kind of fishing you this Camp what are you really focusing on advancing with yourself uh yeah what's what's really pushing me this Camp is you know uh I didn't really get to play a full season last year so like my my number one goal is to play in in all 12 games and more if we get to that but uh I just want to be healthy for every game and I just want to go out there and play football give my all and see where it takes me what have been your early impressions of the quarterbacks who weren't here in the spring and kind of you know had to learn on the Fly here yeah uh Henry marmar Carson and Nick they've done a they've done a great job it's it's not easy coming in and trying to learn this offense and well we've had two and a half weeks of or two weeks of camp like that so a lot of credit to them they're they're all working really hard studying a lot um it just takes a little bit of time and and and they'll get into it and but they're getting better every day do you consider yourself a funny person yeah I can say cuz people team think you're funny so I mean yeah I I would say that yeah I uh I can get a couple jokes here and there but yeah all good yeah thank you thank you