Brett Hundley Tabbed To Solve UCLA’s Long-Running QB Problem

Quarterback controversy and UCLA football have been synonymous ever since Drew Olson’s exit from the program following the 2005 season, but this year’s installment is settled — for now. Bruin head coach Jim Mora announced redshirt freshman Brett Hundley would get the nod for UCLA’s Week 1 tilt against Rice, savvy timing as it supplants Mora’s radio blunder atop UCLA headlines.

Hundley is a dual talented play maker and Rick Neuheisel recruit, targeted for his ability to run the Pistol offense.

A new coaching staff abandoned the Pistol, but Hundley remained in the mix with 2011 starters Kevin Prince and Richard Brehaut. Both Prince and Brehaut have their positives, but glaring negatives. Prince is a long, athletic player who can make plays with feet and exhibits a decided toughness. But that grittiness has also lent itself to numerous injuries, a problem that has plagued UCLA at the position long before Prince.

Brehaut did not allow turnovers filling in for Prince last year, scoring six times and throwing a single interception. But Brehaut is undersized, and is not terribly accurate. His production does not match the potential Prince or Hundley offer.

Hundley has Prince’s size and athleticism, and the obvious hope is he brings the lacking stability UCLA needs to become a viable contender in the Pac-12 South. The Bruins are a wild card, pegged anywhere from a dangerous second and nine-game winner to a third place also-ran squeaking into the postseason. Much of that hinges on Hundley, who shares the backfield with talented running back Johnathan Franklin.

Franklin could shoulder a larger rushing load with fellow running back Derrick Coleman gone for the NFL. Prince on the sideline also means over 600 yards on the ground now unaccounted for, though the new system will call for the quarterback to rush less. That doesn’t mean not at all, however.

Though the Bruin coaches bring years of NFL experience and are implementing a more pro-friendly style, offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone’s scheme allowed Brock Osweiler to unleash his surprisingly capable wheels last season at Arizona State. Hundley may not carry the 120 times Prince did a season ago, but he’s not destined to a life exclusively in the pocket, either.

A new starter generates renewed enthusiasm for what is already a season of lofty expectations with the new staff. It’s a routine UCLA knows well.

The revolving door behind center since Olson helped the Bruins to a 10-win campaign in ’05 has featured Ben Olson, Patrick Cowan, Osaar Rasshan, Kevin Craft, Prince and Brehaut. Chris Forcier saw playing time and was considered an option, though never started before his transfer to Furman. As expected with all that turnover, UCLA has not had an effective offense in those years, some seasons squandering upper echelon defenses as a result.

Is Hundley finally the answer those six previous starters were not? Hundley’s play in the spring began to turn heads, while workouts in the triple digit temperatures of San Bernardino certainly inspired enough confidence in Mora that he apparently believes so.

Injuries derailed some of the previous Bruin hopefuls’ performances, and injuries are an often unavoidable and always unpredictable facet of the game. Assuming he stays healthy, gauging Hundley’s success includes a lot of guesswork. As mentioned, he’s taking over a different system than the one which he was recruited to run. He does have the prototypical size to be effective in a less run-from-shotgun oriented system.

Much of his success, at least this season, will be predicated on the pieces around him. Franklin will play a key role, much like ASU’s Cameron Marshall had in Mazzone’s offense last year. But perhaps No. 1 to Hundley’s maturation is talented tight end Joseph Fauria. A big target with great hands, Fauria should be someone Hundley is dialing up early and often, particularly in the short yardage and goal line situations that the previous offense had Prince scrambling.