UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach has thrived

Ty Dieffenbach, a former Cal Poly and Pittsburgh signal caller, wasn’t well-known among UCLA and national school soccer followers until last week.

Dieffenbach has been patiently ready for his second since he made the swap from broad receiver to quarterback as a sophomore at Agoura High.

And like subbing in to play quarterback at Autzen Stadium and main UCLA to the most important win of the season thus far, his soccer journey has never been a layup. But that’s what makes Dieffenbach’s first Football Bowl Subdivision start against Wisconsin on Saturday at the Rose Bowl so particular.

Dieffenbach was a wiry 6-foot-3 receiver making ready for his sophomore season in 2020 when coach Dustin Croick took over the Agoura soccer program.

Teams had to wipe down the balls after utilizing them during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once gamers had been cleared to return to follow after a long break, Dieffenbach routinely ran a route, caught a go and threw the ball back to the start of the drill.

Dieffenbach was throwing deep passes with good spiral in entrance of Croick, who lacked a beginning quarterback.

Dieffenbach agreed to swap to quarterback and dedicated to intense training that transfer required.

Croick and Dieffenbach labored via Zoom to research schemes, installations and the abilities it took to play under heart. What would have been a grueling course of for most was an escape for Dieffenbach, who was struggling through the most antagonistic time in his life: his mom’s bout with breast cancer.

“He’s a sophomore. His mom was just diagnosed with breast cancer. So you have a kid that’s going through that, and the quarterback stuff was his outlet, going through the hardest thing that he’s been through off the field and something super personal,” Croick said. “Football was his medicine at that time, where it wasn’t as serious as what he was going through.”

Through it all, Dieffenbach realized how to be a quarterback and a chief. After going 7-3 and breaking the college’s single-season landing passing report Croick once held, all of the staff’s star gamers graduated.

And Dieffenbach, who was racking up school presents, was left with a depleted roster and a grim senior season outlook. But while top-tier high faculty packages tried to lure him away, it was never a query.

It was always Agoura.

“He’s getting calls left and right from other schools to transfer to big-time schools that are in our area. And I remember the conversation with his dad and him. I told him if you’re going to leave, you’re still my boy. I still love you, and I get it,” Croick said. “And he’s like, absolutely not. I would never leave, because I’m Agoura. I’m A-Town, and I’m here. And to be honest, from my perspective, back then he should have left. But that’s the type of kid he is.”

Despite a 1-9 report and a knee injury sustained in Week 1 that stored him out of the remainder of the season, Dieffenbach’s loyalty never wavered, and the Calabasas product was rewarded with a late offer from Pittsburgh, making him one of the first Power Four soccer gamers out of Agoura in more than a decade, Croick said.

After not seeing any motion as a true freshman, he was annoyed by the shortage of taking part in time but stayed the course, working to see the sphere the next season. However, after offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. was fired after a 3-9 season, his outlook at Pitt went from unhealthy to worse.

New offensive coordinator Kade Bell needed Dieffenbach to make another place swap, this time from quarterback to tight end.

UCLA quarterback Ty Dieffenbach helped lead the Bruins to a win at Oregon on Oct. 10.

(Lydia Ely / Associated Press)

Dieffenbach’s loyalty was examined a second time.

Take a leap of religion and depart Pitt after two seasons without taking part in, or keep at a program and a faculty where he felt snug.

“It was very hard for him to leave Pitt because he didn’t want to. He felt good there. He had really good friends there. But you can’t control a new offensive coordinator. You can’t control them wanting to do a position change or anything like that,” Croick said. “He just believed in himself to play quarterback. He said, ‘I want a shot at playing quarterback. If I don’t ever do that, I won’t know, so I need to do it.’”

Dieffenbach transferred to Cal Poly. After successful the beginning job during preseason camp, he finally had the prospect to see the sphere at the school degree.

But accidents altered his season. He was constantly taking part in at less than 100%, lacking time and never actually discovering a groove.

Cal Poly quarterback Ty Dieffenbach throws a go against Utah on Sept. 6, 2025, in Salt Lake City.

(Chris Gardner / Getty Images)

“He got hit in the back, and there were some issues there, bruising and pain, and that was a lot to have to fight through,” former Cal Poly head coach Paul Wulff said. “When you have an injury and you’re playing and you’re sore, it affects you. It’s not that easy, so he had to overcome that, which was hard for him. But he kept plugging away at it, and he finally got a little bit better and got a little more confident, and the pain wasn’t as much, but it lingered all season for him.”

And after a 4-8 season, Wulff left Cal Poly and Dieffenbach confronted another crossroads.

It was not until new UCLA coach Chesney and offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy took over the Bruins that a new alternative arose. He determined to be part of the UCLA roster with no guarantee he would earn snaps at a faculty with an established starter and a returning backup.

He earned the respect of his UCLA coaches and teammates, who weren’t stunned by how Dieffenbach responded when Nico Iamaleava was injured during a top 25 sport at Oregon.

After main the Bruins to their first win at Autzen Stadium since 2004, Dieffenbach earned the precise to change Iamaleava in the beginning lineup.

“He’s been able to withstand some difficult times of not playing at Pitt or getting injured at Cal Poly. At the end of the day, he believes in himself,” Croick said. “Even at Pitt, I told him you’re going to get your shot. You just got to stay locked in. He never wavered. If you go to his time at Pitt, it was super important for where he is right now.”