Now former UCLA football quarterback Josh Rosen‘s next significant snaps will come in the NFL, as the junior is officially declaring for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Rosen, who battled concussions and injuries during his three years as a Bruin, did make a promise to his mom in his outgoing message.
“P.S. Mom – I promise I will come back and finish my degree,” Rosen wrote.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pounder is expected to be a top pick, possibly battling fellow Pac-12 rival Sam Darnold from Southern Cal for being the overall No. 1 selection.
Thankful to be a Bruin pic.twitter.com/iph754UL2b
— Josh Rosen (@josh3rosen) January 3, 2018
“Over the last three years, UCLA has helped me grow as an athlete, a scholar, and a member of the community,” Rosen wrote. “I have made some mistakes along the way; however, I am grateful that I made those mistakes backed by such a supportive and positive university, so that I could learn from them and better myself. To the UCLA students, alumni, and fans, I appreciate all of your unwavering support.”
Rosen threw for 3,756 yards with 26 touchdowns, completing 63 percent of his passes. Those were all career-highs for the signal-caller, including a 40-for-60, 480-yard showing in a loss to Stanford.
“I especially want to thank my teammates,” Rosen said. “I wish we had won more games, but friendships were forged and memories were made that will last a lifetime. They are my best friends – I love them and wouldn’t have chosen any others to go into battle with each and every week. It pains me to leave these guys, but I know they wouldn’t let me come back and pass up this opportunity to chase my dream.”
Rosen also completed 35 of 59 for 491 yards and four scores in Week 1 when the Bruins rallied for a 45-44 victory over Texas A&M. Four other times they went over 300 yards.
Over his three seasons, Rosen completed 711 of 1,169 passes for 9,301 yards and 59 touchdowns with 26 interceptions.
Things will be different for UCLA next year, as Chip Kelly takes over for Jim Mora. Kelly will have sophomore-to-be Devon Modster, who started the Cactus Bowl and threw for 295 yards with two touchdowns. Modster was 51-for-79 for 671 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions this past year.
Next: Where does Rosen rank in latest NFL Mock Draft?
Also, top recruit Dorian Thompson-Robinson will arrive on campus and is a perfect fit for the spread-option Kelly likely will use. He picked UCLA over MIchigan and remained committed once Mora was fired.