UCLA Football: Is Jim Mora Hiding QB Josh Rosen from the Press?

Last week when it was announced Scott Quessenberry and Kenny Young would accompany UCLA Football head coach Jim Mora to PAC-12 Media Day people began to wonder, is Jim Mora hiding Josh Rosen from the press?

Think about the face of UCLA Football right now. Sure there are plenty of great names that come to mind as the 2017 season rolls towards us but who is THE name? For 99.9% of Bruin fans and media that name is starting QB Josh Rosen.

Ever since arriving on campus Rosen has the been the undisputed starter and leader of the offense. He has prototypical size, arm strength and some of the most gorgeous mechanics you’ll ever see.

He has however, managed to also stir the pot and generate some controversy.

First there was the hot tub in the dorm room incident in which Rosen shared his indoor swimming facilities with a young lady from PAC-12 rival Arizona. This incident was summed up by many in the media and fans as a “boys will be boys” slip-up rather than than some great tragedy.

Then there was the special message Rosen had for now POTUS Donald Trump while golfing at Trump’s golf course. This particular action saw more feathers ruffled as it took place before the 2016 election. We don’t need to dive into the political climate but any perceived political statement was going to draw tons of ire.

When UCLA Football announced it’s huge mega million dollar deal with Under Armour as the new outfitter of UCLA athletics, Rosen also got his shot in. He made it clear that he doesn’t take kindly to the current amateur, student-athlete system that was put into place by the NCAA.

Again just like the Trump golf course incident, you have people fiercely dug in on both sides and of course they came out of the woodwork.

With all of these run-ins with the media some people wonder if Rosen not representing UCLA Football on PAC-12 Media Day is a ploy by Mora to keep him away from the media who may attempt to get a juicy soundbite.

I for one don’t believe this to be true. First off this won’t be the only time Rosen will have a microphone in front of his face this season. There will be post-practice interviews, pre and post game interviews and I’m sure a couple of publications will come calling.

Secondly Jim Mora has a general rule about not taking players unless they’re seniors. Some point to Brett Hundley going in 2014 but he was red-shirt junior. Academically that makes him a senior. The only exception to this was when he took true junior OLB Deon Hollins in 2015. Since it’s only happened once I’m saying this is the exception not the rule for Mora.

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Lastly, it seems to me that Rosen has matured some since his early days and is focused on winning and getting to the NFL as a top selection. Perhaps he doesn’t want to give an NFL team a reason to think twice about selecting him if they think he will be a distraction. However a larger part of me thinks he’s just grown as a player, leader and young man.

There are those who think he shouldn’t keep his mouth closed though. Do you think Mora is hiding Rosen? Let us know below.

UCLA Football: Is Jim Mora hiding Josh Rosen from the Press?

By Michael Chavez | Jul 7, 2017

Last week when it was announced Scott Quessenberry and Kenny Young would accompany UCLA Football head coach Jim Mora to PAC-12 Media Day people began to wonder, is Jim Mora hiding Josh Rosen from the press?