UCLA Football: Forget the Backup QB Battle, Just Have Them Ready!

The UCLA Football team is in a better position than they were a year ago when it comes to quarterback depth, but instead of having a solid backup, let us hope they have all the QBs ready for fall.

Last season, the UCLA Football team was able to bring in, not just one, but two quarterbacks as 4-star Devon Modster and 3-star Matt Lynch joined the Bruins from the 2016 recruiting class. This was fantastic because it meant the Bruins would have some breathing room at that position as they now had depth.

The year before, starting QB Josh Rosen “beat out” backup and fan favorite Jerry Neuheisel. Though the golden locked son of former coach Rick Neuheisel was a willing and able athlete, he did not have the skill set of Rosen. Luckily, nothing major happened to Rosen

But then 2016 rolled around and the addition of Modster and Lynch was a relief to Bruin fans. If anything was to happen to Rosen, UCLA would have two reliable backups.

Well, something did happen to Rosen and neither Modster nor Lynch was used. Instead, the Bruin coaches decided that former walk-on Mike Fafaul was best suited to lead the team after Rosen injured his shoulder six games in and was out for the rest of the season.

Fafaul did as good of a job as he could, but he was no Rosen, and apparently Modster and Lynch were no Fafaul. The problem here is that UCLA did not do very well recruiting quarterbacks after they landed Rosen and it bit them in the keister. And then when they did get some backup, they were not prepped to direct the offense. Though Fafaul had a better grasp of the offense, things could have been different if Modster or Lynch were utilized, even for a few plays.

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Well 2016 is gone and 2017 is on the horizon which means that now, during Spring Practice, the Bruins have no choice but to get their backups up to speed. Yes, it is good to have a backup QB battle, but instead, for me, I just want them all to be ready.

Ready if Rosen goes down. Ready if one QB is not producing. Ready to get in the game at a moment’s notice.

Yes, the offense is once again in flux and taking its time to get game ready, especially with new Offensive Coordinator Jedd Fisch taking over (he is the 3rd OC in as many years), which means the Bruin coaches have to do everything in their power to make sure their offensive leaders know everything in the new system.

I’ll just say it, I do not care if it is Rosen or Modster or Lynch or even freshman Austin Burton (who has looked good early on in Spring Practice) who leads this team, someone has to be successful at running this offense.

Rosen is the clear cut #1 QB and will be in for every offensive play in 2017 unless he suffers another injury, but if he cannot get the offense going, Modster or Lynch (or Burton) has to be ready.

Next: Bruin Coaches Talk Offensive Progress

The offense is slow going, but it does not mean that they will have a losing season like last year. Also, it is not guaranteed that the offense will improve upon last season, but something has to happen if UCLA wants to return to the glory of the first four years of the Jim Mora era. Either way, this is all a work in progress and I for one am crossing my fingers.