UCLA Football: Next Man Up – A 2018 Quarterback Preview
With former UCLA Football QB Josh Rosen announcing his decision to declare for the 2018 NFL Draft, Go Joe Bruin investigates who will take over signal-calling duties in 2018.
It’s been a few weeks since the Chip Kelly era officially begun in Westwood. Since then, the UCLA Football coaching staff has taken shape, recruits have committed (and de-committed), and a handful of veteran players have made their intentions known on whether or not they will be pursuing a football career on the next level. However there’s one void on the field that will need to be filled above all others.
One player (who to little surprise) that declared for the 2018 NFL Draft was none other than UCLA’s quarterback Josh Rosen. After appearing in a total of 30 games throughout his collegiate career, Rosen racked up a total of 9,341 yards, tallied 59 touchdowns, earned All-American honors as a freshman, was named the Pac-12 Conference Freshman Offensive Player of the Year in 2015, earned second-team all-conference honors as a junior, and set a new school record for single-season passing yards (3,756) in 2017.
After reviewing Rosen’s impressive collegiate athletic resume, it’s safe to say the Bruins will miss the Manhattan Beach native come the fall of 2018.
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But all hope is not lost.
Entering the 2018 season, newly-minted UCLA head coach Chip Kelly will have an arsenal of QB talent to experiment with. Sooner or later, Kelly will have to name a starter, but until then it’s only speculation. Go Joe Bruin dissects UCLA’s quarterbacks and determines which one is the most viable option for the start of the 2018 season.
Devon Modster
Height: 6-2
Weight: 210 lbs
Year: R-So.
Hometown: Mission Viejo, CA
247Sports Ranking: 4-Star
Last season, Modster tallied four touchdowns after appearing in five of the Bruins’ contests where he connected on a total of 51 passes out of 79 attempts for a combined 671 yards, earning a 64.6% completion rate. Modster also rushed for a total of 34 yards.
Modster is primarily a pro-style quarterback, but has the athleticism to successfully run the option which would fit in well with Kelly’s past offenses. As UCLA’s QB2 in 2017, Modster enters the 2018 campaign with a slight edge based mainly on experience. However, with essentially a new offensive coaching staff in place, the redshirt freshman will need to wow the staff in the spring practices and in the fall camp in order to get the nod.
Matt Lynch
Height: 6-4
Weight: 218 lbs
Year: R-So.
Hometown: Broomfield, CO
247Sports Ranking: 3-Star
In 2017, Lynch passed for 11 yards and scored one touchdown in the Bruins’ 48-17 shellacking against Utah. While his 2017 stats may not show it, Lynch actually enters the 2018 campaign as a legitimate contender for UCLA’s starting quarterback job. Physically, Lynch matches Rosen’s 2017 roster weight, checking in at 6-4 and 218 lbs.
As seen in his performance against Utah (albeit brief), Lynch has the ability to work outside of the pocket and work under pressure. Lynch also appeared to be a bit more agile than Rosen. However, there are many unknowns surrounding the redshirt as he enters 2018 very much untested. Similar to Modster, Lynch will need to do all he can to stand out among his competitors this spring.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Height: 6-2
Weight:195 lbs
Year: Fr.
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
247Sports Ranking: 4-Star
Despite being the early favorite, Thompson-Robinson still has a lot to prove before being named the Bruins’ 2018 starting signal-caller. Thompson-Robinson started in all 15 of Bishop Gorman’s competitions and lead the Gaels to their ninth-straight state title after beating Reed (NV) 48-7 on December 2 in the Class 4A state championship game in Reno. However, before 2017, Thompson-Robinson had yet to start a game as Tate Martell, who is currently on Ohio State’s roster as a back-up quarterback, ran the Gaels’ offense from 2014-2016.
Thompson-Robinsons’ prep-level accomplishments are indeed impressive as he passed for 3,275 yards and scored 38 touchdowns, but he will still need to adapt to the collegiate-level game. Notably, Thompson-Robinson does match the caliber of dual-threat quarterbacks that Kelly worked with in his time at Oregon (I.E. Darron Thomas and Marcus Mariota). In short, the highly-touted recruit’s athleticism checks out, but he has yet to compete on the collegiate level. While he does emulate former Bruin standout quarterback Brett Hundley, fans should be cautiously optimistic about Thompson-Robison as the starter in 2018.
K.J. Carta-Samuels
Height: 6-2
Weight: 219 lbs
Class: GR
Hometown: Saratoga, CA
247Sports Ranking: 4-Star
Carta-Samuels is a late-entry in the 2018 UCLA quarterback competition. On January 15, 2018, Carta-Samuels announced that he would be transferring from Washington to UCLA as a graduate student. The former Husky spent the last two years backing up Jake Browning. Since 2015, Carta-Samuels has tallied a total of 310 yards and posted three touchdowns.
Carta-Samuels’ biggest advantage entering the 2018 season is seniority. As the Bruins’ other viable quarterback candidates are a healthy mix of underclassmen, Carta-Samuels can provide a level of experience and maturity.
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Based on sheer speculation, Modster appears to be most logical option for the Bruins starting quarterback in 2018 as he knows UCLA’s system and fits the style of quarterback Chip Kelly has worked with in the past on the collegiate level. It would not be of any surprise, though, to see Thompson-Robinson take over the position should Modster’s early-season performance disappoint Kelly and his staff.
Regardless, the next seven months will be very interesting as the Bruins’ roster continues to take shape.