How this 4-star UCLA quarterback landed on the roster at D2 JC Smith in Charlotte
It’s not every day that a four-star quarterback who played for Chip Kelly at UCLA transfers to Johnson C. Smith, a historically Black school with little college football pedigree.
But in June, Parker McQuarrie — who once chose UCLA over Michigan — will arrive in Charlotte, ready to compete for the starting job at a Division II school that’s trying to build a reputation after not having much of one for decades.
So how did this happen, and why has McQuarrie, who arrived at UCLA in 2020, only thrown 21 passes in the past six years? And how did he connect with Smith’s Golden Bulls, who won their first conference championship in 55 years last season?
Well, as Smith football coach Maurice Flowers said, “it’s a long story.”
But Flowers hopes it has a very happy ending.
“It’s so important for quarterbacks, that you go to a system that fits your skill set,” Flowers said. “There are some folks that get trapped in systems that don’t bring out the best in who they are. And so what I see in him is his skill set, but not just his arm talent. There’s enough film for me to say that, ‘This guy can do it, and he deserves an opportunity for us to come fight for the starting job. And also when you look at Chip Kelly and guys like (former Michigan coach) Jim Harbaugh, they don’t often miss when it comes to quarterbacks.”
Parker McQuarrie’s long journey to Charlotte
Efforts by The Observer to reach McQuarrie were unsuccessful, but he was a big deal in high school in New Hampshire. At 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, he was the state’s top ranked high school football recruit in the 2019 season — a 3-star by 247 Sports and a 4-star by Rivals. 247 ranked him the No. 14 pro style recruit in America and projected him as a Power 4 starter.
247 recruiting analyst Brian John thought McQuarrie, who had 16 Power 4 scholarship offers, had the potential to one day play pro ball.
“Comfortable under center and in shotgun,” John wrote in his evaluation. “Has touch on intermediate and long throws. Release is compact, quick and high. Gets through progressions. Poised and has pocket awareness. Can extend plays sliding in pocket. Rhythm passer. Has tendency to be stationary. Needs to improve arm strength and trust his arm on short throws. Must increase strength. Accuracy, comfort throwing on move needs work. Eventual starter at Power 5 program. Could develop into an NFL free agent.”
McQuarrie signed with UCLA at the end of his senior year in 2019 and enrolled the next fall.
Then came a series of playing disappointments.
A pro-style QB trying to lead a dual-threat offense, McQuarrie redshirted in 2020 and was on the scout team in 2021 and didn’t play. In 2022, he transferred to Independence Community College — the Kansas school Netflix once documented in a series called “Last Chance U.” The school regularly gets 4- and 5-star players who didn’t make it and were looking for a way back to big-time football.
McQuarrie threw 19 passes for 121 yards in six games.
“When you’re 4-star, there’s a lot of people that say you’re good,” Flowers said. “But at UCLA, Chip Kelly is known to be a dual-threat guy. Parker is more of a pocket passer, a pro-style guy. So it could been that the schemes just didn’t fit.”
Another transfer, another two years of not much
In 2023, McQuarrie left community college for Division II New Haven, a school that’s made seven NCAA Tournament appearances in the past 14 years. McQuarrie ended up third in the rotation behind a former Boston College quarterback, Daelen Menard, who had started the year before.
McQuarrie threw two passes in 2023 and none in 2024. He sat out the 2025 season and began looking for somewhere he could finally play.
Due to his redshirt and scout team years, McQuarrie could play two years at a Division II school. And when he hit the portal, Division II power Wingate offered him a spot earlier this year. But according to Flowers, Wingate wanted McQuarrie to compete in spring ball, which would’ve burned his eligibility clock.
Flowers’ assistant coaches also saw this former high school star in the portal and reached out, but at the time Smith’s quarterback room was full.
“So we really didn’t pursue it,” Flowers said.
But then a funny thing happened during Smith’s spring practices.
A Golden Bull turnaround helps a new marriage happen
Last season, Flowers and Smith continued one of the biggest turnarounds in the nation, winning that CIAA title.
In December 1892, the Bulls, then known as Biddle University, played at Livingstone College. That was the first football game between Black colleges. For the next 130 years, Smith won one CIAA conference title, in 1969, and was generally a poster child for football futility. From 2005-22, Smith won 56 games — an average of 3.2 per season.
Flowers, one of the best players in school history, was part of that. As head coach, he was determined to change it.
Flowers replaced Kermit Blount, who was fired in November 2021. In six years, Blount’s teams were 16-42 and never had a winning season. The Bulls were 1-7 the year he was let go.
The school gave Flowers more scholarships, more coaches and several other items on his wish list: new locker room, new turf field, new weight room.
Flowers and his staff began to bring talent to Charlotte, like former Harding High star Quavaris Crouch, once the nation’s top prep recruit; and former UNC player Kamarro Edmonds, who was a four-star running back in high school.
“I’m glad we created the culture and the standard that we have as a program,” Flowers said. “What we built is something that guys coming from any school, anywhere, now consider Johnson C. Smith as a place to get their education to play ball.”
Smith was 2-7 in Flowers’ first year, in 2022. The Golden Bulls are 25-8 since then and made the NCAA playoffs for the first time last season.
But the Bulls lost All-American QB Kelvin Durham to graduation after finishing 10-2 in December. In Flowers’ pass-happy system there is no more important piece.
The transfer portal leads to a scholarship
Flowers had a QB in for spring practice, Central Connecticut State transfer Josh Jackson, and two backups returning from last season.
“We didn’t feel that those two (returning) guys were going to compete for the 1 or 2 spot,” Flowers said. “Young men want an opportunity to play, so they jumped in the portal.”
McQuarrie was still available, so Smith coaches reached out again and brought him on campus. Flowers began to research his background. One of his first calls was to UCLA strength coach Keith “Thump” Belton, who was once a high school star at West Charlotte. Flowers heard nothing to give him the slightest bit of pause, and although he didn’t have much game film to watch, there was plenty of McQuarrie in practices with three different teams.
And Flowers was impressed.
“I probably saw what a lot of people saw,” Flowers said, “because he had a number of offers from some other schools. So what I see is probably what some others possibly see. He can make all the throws. He has good leadership ability, and he’s talented. What I see is a mesh really, someone who would mesh well with our system.”
Flowers offered him a scholarship and McQuarrie committed on May 10, forcing another high-profile QB who had committed to the Golden Bulls to de-commit immediately, according to Flowers.
And Flowers said McQuarrie has already been in contact with the Golden Bulls receivers to work out when he gets to Charlotte.
“He’s ready to go,” the Bulls’ coach said.
A Golden Bulls breakout season?
Flowers’ team finished in the top 25 of two national Division II polls last season and returns 16 starters, including nine on offense.
Flowers is bullish on his team’s chance to better in 2026 than it was in 2025.
“I think we have an opportunity to,” he said. “I think we really do.”
Of course, for Smith to win, Flowers needs a QB1.
McQuarrie will compete for the job with, among others, Jackson, who was once named Mr. Football in Tennessee in high school. Smith has four other quarterbacks in the room, and Flowers said everyone will have a chance to battle for the starting job.
But the former 4-star from UCLA could finally get a real chance to hit the field this fall.
“Here’s the thing,” Flowers said. “I don’t think there’s too many guys coming out of high school that are getting ready to go play at quarterback at a Power 4 school,” Flowers said. “That (what happened during) Parker’s first year at UCLA. His second year there, I just think, hey, it’s tough. And it’s tough at any level. You come to our place right now, at a D2 school in the CIAA (conference), and it’s going to be tough to play a lot of positions. You’ve got to earn your way, and so some guys feel like a change of scenery could be best for them to get to their opportunity. And that’s really what college is, like: Where can I get an opportunity to show what I’ve got?”
After waiting for six years, Johnson C. Smith may finally give McQuarrie the opportunity he’s been waiting for.
