UCLA Football: Is Josh Rosen a sure-fire franchise quarterback?

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Meet the Player

Josh Rosen has been a golden boy his entire life.

The son of a former gold medal ice dancer and figure skater, Rosen was groomed from a young age to be a star athlete.

Rosen grew up playing tennis against his future Emory University All-American sister Beatrice, and becoming a top-10 junior player in the process, before switching to football shortly before high school.

After enrolling in St. John Bosco High School in the fall of 2011 Josh spend the next four years of his life as a member of the Braves’ varsity football team. Josh lead the varsity squad for 2012-2014 and amassed over 8,400 yards passing and 90 touchdowns in 43 games. These numbers, in addition to his athletic pedigree, made him incredibly sought after.

A consensus 5 star prospect, Rosen was the top ranked quarterback prospect in the nation by both Scout.com and Rivals.com, with scouts admiring his live arm, his pocket presence and his physical gifts at the position.

Dozens of teams showed interest during the recruitment process, with no less than 17 teams offering him a scholarship, but for Rosen it was never really a competition. After taking only one official college visit, Josh committed his services to UCLA, spurning the likes of Notre Dame, Alabama and crosstown-rival USC, to serve as the signal caller for Jim Mora’s Bruins offense.

After enrolling a semester early, Josh Rosen dazzled fans, coaches and his fellow teammates in UCLA’s spring program and became the conscientious starting quarterback for the Bruins as a true freshman.

As a true freshman Rosen would start all 13 games for UCLA, the first true freshman in university history to do so, and put up dazzling numbers, throwing for 3,670 yards and 23 touchdowns while leading the Bruins to a 8-5 record.

Rosen received near universal praise for his freshman campaign, receiving numerous accolades, like being named a Freshman All-American, and winning the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year award. He also received praise from his own head coach, who told Rich Eisen that Rosen was the best quarterback in the country in 2016, and would have been the first quarterback taken in the 2016 NFL Draft had he been eligible.

This showering of praise would go to Rosen’s head, and he became a hot topic of for reporters for more than just his arm talent.

Josh would make national headlines when TMZ broke the story that Rosen had installed a $350 inflatable hot tub in his dorm room during the 2015 season. Trouble would again find Rosen in the spring of 2016, after making a ‘provocative’ fashion statement while golfing at the Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes, California.

After enduring an eventful offseason, Rosen returned to LA for the 2016 season, ready to continue UCLA’s resurgence in the Pac-12.

The UCLA squad opened its season with a 3-2 record highlighted by Rosen’s strong performance. However, the hype would be short-lived after Josh suffered a season ending shoulder injury in the team’s Week 6 loss to Arizona State. UCLA would finish the season with a disappointing 4-8 record, going 1-6 in Rosen’s absence.

Now fully healthy, Rosen will again lead the UCLA Bruins in what could very well be his final season in Los Angeles. If Josh is able to continue to progress as a player on the field without getting into trouble off the field this could be the season that Rosen cements himself as a future first round pick.

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