UCLA picks true freshman Josh Rosen as starting QB

With UCLA’s season opener less than two weeks away, Bruins head coach Jim Mora decided Wednesday night it was time to name his starting quarterback.

The decision came down to redshirt junior Jerry Neuheisel and true freshman Josh Rosen, and Mora opted for Rosen.

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Rosen, a native of Bellflower, Calif., was a five-star recruit in the 2015 class and enrolled early in order to participate in spring practice and gear up for the competition with Neuheisel. Rivals.com rated Rosen as the best quarterback in his class and the second-best prospect in the country, so expectations have been sky high.

The Bruins return their entire offensive line, a nice stable of receivers and Pac-12 rushing leader Paul Perkins (1,575 yards, 15 TDs), so Rosen has plenty of weapons to work with.

Neuheisel, the son of former UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel, was the backup to Brett Hundley the past two seasons. He came on in relief of an injured Hundley against Texas and led the Bruins to a come-from-behind win. Overall, he has appeared in a combined four games over the past two seasons and thrown for 318 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

The Bruins open their season at home on Sept. 5 against Virginia.

For more UCLA news, visit BruinSportsReport.com.

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