Carta-Samuels is expected to compete for the starting QB job in Chip Kelly's new UCLA offense.
K.J. Carta-Samuels, the Huskies’ backup quarterback to Jake Browning the past three seasons, plans to transfer to UCLA as a senior graduate transfer, his brother, Austyn, announced Monday on Twitter.
Carta-Samuels is on track to earn his undergraduate degree from Washington this spring and presuming he does that he will be eligible to play at UCLA during the 2018 season.
The Huskies play at UCLA on Oct. 6.
With Browning set to return to UW for his fourth season as the starting QB in 2018, Carta-Samuels announced in December that he was seeking graduate-transfer options.
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Josh Rosen’s early departure from UCLA for the NFL leaves the Bruins’ starting QB job open entering 2018. Carta-Samuels is expected to compete for the job in Chip Kelly’s new UCLA offense.
A former four-star recruit from Saratoga, Calif., the 6-foot-2, 221-pound Carta-Samuels was the first QB to sign with Petersen at UW, as part the 2014 recruiting class. Browning won the starting job as a true freshman in 2015.
In eight games this past season, all in blowout-win mop-up duty, Carta-Samuels completed 8-of-10 passes for 82 yards. In his UW career, he was 27-of-47 for 310 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.
Carta-Samuels is following in the footsteps of his older brother, Austyn, who transferred from Wyoming to Vanderbilt and won the starting QB job at Vanderbilt in 2013. Austyn is now the recruiting coordinator for the Missouri football program.