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UCLA freshman QB Josh Rosen called ‘the next Peyton Manning’

By Patrick Schmidt

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The expectations are high for UCLA freshman quarterback Josh Rosen who is already getting compared to Peyton Manning.

UCLA fans aren’t the only ones with high expectations for Bruins blue-chip freshman quarterback Josh Rosen who was the nation’s No. 1 quarterback recruit last year. According to ESPN’s Joe Schad a UCLA coach thinks he’s “the next Peyton Manning.”

This comes one day after UCLA head coach Jim Mora called out Rosen after throwing a Hail Mary at the end of a drill and saying, “You’re not at … Bellflower St. John Bosco. That’s why you have not been named the starter,” according to Chris Foster of the Los Angeles Times.

Mora continued after another Hail Mary:

“You can’t hit an open receiver down field with no defense.”

–“The ‘Anointed One.’”

–“Go back to Bosco and beat some more [bad] teams.”

The 6-4, 215-pound Rosen is expected to beat out Jerry Neuheisel for the starting job on a team with College Football Playoff aspirations. That may sound like unfair expectations for a true freshman who hasn’t even played a game, let alone won the starting job, but this is Mora motivating his player the way he thinks is best at the moment.

Two years from now we could be having the conversation about Rosen being the next Manning because he has everything you look for in a freshman quarterback prospect, but let’s avoid the comparisons to one of the best of all-time before he’s taken a snap in a game.

I understand the optimism and setting high expectations on a player with his ability and I think the comparison could be a valid one to make in three years. And that’s exactly why Mora needs to be tough on Rosen now to help him realize his potential.

Just for reference, during his four years at Tennessee, Manning threw for 11,201 yards, 89 touchdowns and 33 interceptions and was the 1997 SEC Player of the Year, Davey O’Brien Award winner, Maxwell Award winner and the runner-up to Charles Woodson in the Heisman.

Manning also finished sixth and eighth in the 1995 and 1996 Heisman vote, respectively before being the No. 1 pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and is the NFL’s only five-time MVP.

Next: Top 10 Most Important Freshmen to Watch in 2015

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