UCLA Bruins Football: End of Year Offensive Grades for 2024

The UCLA Bruins wrapped up their inaugural season in the Big Ten with a 5-7 record (3-6 vs. conference). The Bruins’ 2024 season was far from expected, as first-year head coach DeShaun Foster had aspirations of a bowl appearance — not a 12th-place finish in the conference.

Though the former Pac-12 program faced many concerning matters throughout its season, none were more prevalent than its offensive woes. UCLA’s 18.4 points per game was the third-worst in the Big Ten and was its lowest scoring average since the 2008 season (18.0 points per game). The passing game had flashes of greatness but was never sustainable for long stretches, and the ground attack was merely non-existent.

But how do the UCLA Bruins offensive starters grade for their individual performance in 2024?

UCLA Bruins Offensive Grades

Quarterback: C-

Ethan Garbers: C-

Ethan Garbers undoubtedly had his best season in 2024, where he completed 235 of his 363 pass attempts (64.7 percent) and threw for 2,727 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his senior campaign. The 22-year-old finished top-10 in completions, yards and touchdowns in the Big Ten. The former four-star recruit started 11 of 12 games for the Bruins as an ankle injury kept him sidelined against No. 7 Penn State.

His best game came against Rutgers where he completed 84.2 percent of his passes en route to a 383-yard, four-touchdown and zero-interception performance in a 35-32 win. His worst was two weeks prior, in a matchup where No. 8 Oregon kept Garbers to just 118 yards passing, two interceptions and zero touchdowns as UCLA lost 34-13.

Though it may be an unpleasant grade given the circumstances, Garbers’ lack of ball security and — at times — accuracy ultimately hindered his play despite finding ways to win some games for UCLA.

Running Backs: D+

T.J. Harden: C

Harden was expected to have a better junior year after nearly having 1,000 scrimmage yards in his sophomore campaign. However, much like the team itself, Harden’s stats regressed much from last season. The Los Angeles native saw fewer touches, yards and touchdowns. On the season, Harden rushed for 506 yards and two touchdowns on 124 attempts, but handled a much larger workload in the passing game, hauling in 40 catches for 368 yards and one touchdown.

The dual-threat back was one of two Bruins who caught at least 40 passes. With UCLA finding itself trailing more times than not in 2024, Harden and the rushing attack quickly became a non-factor.

Against Iowa, Harden rushed for a season-high 125 yards on 20 touches, averaging 6.3 yards per carry — showing what he can produce with high volume. However, the season debut was not as kind to Harden as the junior started his year with nine rushes for nine yards. This may not be the season to remember for the talented back, but Harden found ways to become utilized in a depleted backfield.

Jalen Berger/Keegan Jones: F+

Despite who you may consider to be the RB2, neither Berger nor Jones complemented Harden in the backfield. Again, it’s difficult to judge running backs when teams fall behind early in games — they essentially become pass-catchers the rest of the way through.

Jones and Berger are both seniors who nearly mirrored each other’s stats. In 11 games, Jones carried the ball 47 times and rushed for 179 yards and one touchdown. On the flip side, in eight games Berger ran for 178 yards on 48 carries but failed to find the endzone on the ground (caught two).

In a program that has dominated the run, neither back contributed in significant ways to impact any wins or losses.

Wide Receivers: C

Titus Mokiao-Atimalala: D

The former UCF transfer has not panned out for the Bruins. Despite posting career-high numbers, Mokiao-Atimalala stats have remained underwhelming for the most part. The Hawaiian receiver caught 28 passes for 294 yards and 1 touchdown in the nine games he played in 2024.

Mokiao-Atimalala poses big play ability but has yet to put it on full display. His best outing of the season came against Rutgers with 5 catches and a season-best 54 yards. It’s safe to say the junior wideout wasn’t the answer on the outside and his back-to-back mediocre seasons have been evident of that.

J. Michael Sturdivant: B-

Sturdivant’s grade here might cause a few heads to turn, but the 6-foot-3 wide receiver has been impressive — when healthy. In the seven games Sturdivant was healthy, he posted 22 catches for 312 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Texas native was the clear deep threat in the UCLA offense and was the only Bruin to post multiple 100-yard games in 2024.

Though Sturdivant was not on pace to outdo his freshman season at Cal, the junior was most defiantly eyeing his best season at UCLA. Even with a limited season, Sturdivant stood out in what can be considered an all-time horrible offensive season for the Bruins. He recorded seven catches for 107 yards and one touchdown in his best game of the season against Minnesota.

Kwazi Gilmer: C-

Gilmer, in a receiving room that didn’t have a clear-cut No. 1 receiver made the best he could in his freshman year. As most freshmen are, Gilmer had moments where he would shine, but would also have times where he would not be involved. There is a lot of football left in the future of this young prospect, but his debut season was nothing that would draw much attention.

The LA local was third on the team in catches (31), fourth in yards (345) and tied for second in touchdowns (two). Gilmer showcased his downfield ability as well as playing like a gadget-type of receiver and being quarterback-friendly.

Logan Loya: C

Loya, like the rest of his fellow UCLA receivers, didn’t have an excellent season for the Bruins. However, the senior had a knack for finding the endzone. In 2024, Loya brought in 29 catches for 348 yards and a team-high four touchdowns.

As mentioned before, in a crowded receiver room with not much separation between them all, Loya’s numbers were limited as he saw dips in all major categories from his junior season. The homegrown talent didn’t pose a major threat down the field but played to his strengths and dominated the underneath game.

Tight End: B

Moliki Matavao: B

Matavao was clearly Garbers most reliable and favorite target throughout the course of the 2024 season. Matavao led the team with 41 catches and 501 yards, and was one of four Bruins to score twice this year.

The 6-foot-6-inch tight end had his breakout season and can be labeled as the sole bright spot of the Bruins. Matavao remained consistent all year and had two 100-yard games because of it. Moreover, the senior was a top-25 tight end in the nation in terms of receiving yards, and was top five in the Big Ten in both receptions and yards amongst tight ends. He was the heart and soul of the 2024 Bruins offense.

Offensive Line: D

A revamped offensive line structured to protect Garbers against what was the second-hardest schedule in all of college football was never going to be the answer. The offensive line allowed 34 sacks on the season, resulting in 234 yards lost. The Bruins also ranked 114 of 134 in sacks allowed per game (2.8). The offensive line could realistically be pointed as the main reason UCLA struggled to move to ball, and why defensive lines were having parties in the Bruins backfield.