Former Kent State QB Collin Schlee transfers to UCLA

The exodus of Golden Flashes to the transfer portal saw some more resolution on Saturday afternoon, as Pete Thamel of ESPN reported Kent State starting quarterback Collin Schlee is “expected to commit” to UCLA.

Schlee and UCLA confirmed the transfer overnight Sunday via Twitter.

Schlee was part of a multitude of former starters who announced their departures from KSU after head coach Sean Lewis left the school to accept the offensive coordinator position at Colorado.

Schlee, a one-year starter who took over duties from Dustin Crum, finished 157-of-266 for 2,109 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2022 over 11 games, missing action once due to injury. Originally considered a pro-style QB out of high school, Schlee was utilized in a running role often, with 489 yards and four touchdowns on 98 carries.

Schlee also saw action in 2020 and 2021 in specific packages, working as a change-of-pace option in relief of Crum, completing 24-of-37 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns through the air and 212 yards with four touchdowns on the ground.

Kent State was Schlee’s only FBS offer coming out of high school as a three-star recruit from Ijamsville, Maryland, per 247Sports. Schlee also had FCS offers from Delaware State, New Hampshire and Robert Morris, while Power Five schools Indiana and Syracuse also expressed interest.

With the move, Schlee joins a UCLA roster led by the ever-influential Chip Kelly, and is likely to compete for the starting role upon arrival, as current starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson is set to graduate this season.

At current, the Kent State quarterback battle without Schlee projects to be between two rising sophomores in Camden, New Jersey’s Devin Kargman and Chicago’s Tommy Ulatowski, who both saw action in 2022 in relief of Schlee.

This is considered a developing story, and will update as the story develops.