Josh Rosen entering pivotal year with UCLA Bruins

UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen is entering a pivotal season as he navigates through expectations, his future and trying to lead his team to the top.

Every year in college football, there is always one program that is a trendy pick to make the College Football Playoff. The UCLA Bruins have been one of those teams that analysts and experts have flirted with because of the talent on their team. That talent, of course, starts with quarterback Josh Rosen.

Rosen has been one of the most talked about quarterbacks since he joined the program and his pro potential is through the roof. However, Rosen like the Bruins has had to deal with his share of disappointments in college as well.

After UCLA lost to a 5-7 Nebraska team, their 2016 season would be derailed thanks to injuries and some tough losses. In a way, the Bruins learned a hard lesson the opening week of the season that mirrors the same one the Arizona State Sun Devils learned the season prior. They scheduled the Texas A&M Aggies the first week of the season and lost a tough one in a hostile environment.

The team did a great job of coming back to force overtime, but the loss got them off on the wrong foot. At 3-2, the Bruins had a chance to salvage their season and make some noise in the Pac-12 South division.

For those that are unaware of just how cannibalistic the conference is, there tends to be a new champion just about every season. In fact, the Utah Utes are the only team that hasn’t won their division yet and competed for a conference championship.

That fateful night in Tempe changed a lot of things for Rosen and the Bruins. He hurt his knee early in the game but would stay in and limp around trying to get his team to the win. Head coach Jim Mora’s decision to keep him in the game would end up turning into a controversial one.

Late in the game with the Bruins aiming to make a comeback, Rosen would take a nasty hit and suffer a shoulder injury that ended up keeping him out the rest of the season. UCLA would lose four in a row and would only win more game that year and it came against the struggling Oregon State Beavers.

After being that potential sleeper pick for many to begin the season, the Bruins finished 4-8 and were one of the biggest disappointments in the nation. Jim Mora can’t afford another year like this past one and neither can Rosen.

Pro prospects aside, Rosen is carrying a big burden. Not only does he have to lead the team back to competing for the conference title, he has to do it in wake of a shoulder injury and lofty expectations lumped upon him.

For a while, he was the most popular quarterback in the Los Angeles area. After USC’s incredible season and comeback over Penn State in the Rose Bowl, Sam Darnold is now taking those headlines that once solely belonged to Rosen.

Perhaps that provides Rosen an opportunity to fly under the radar and get right. The most important thing for him is showing that the injury won’t affect him and that he will be comfortable taking some hits early on the year.

It’s a team effort for the Bruins to achieve their goals but it starts with their quarterback. We’ve seen this situation countless times over the years and it’s always interesting to see how certain players respond to having to navigate the rough seas of persevering through adversity. The confidence of Rosen is certainly something the Bruins can hang their hat on.

If there’s a positive to take out of that loss against Arizona State that ended his season, it’s that he didn’t quit early when he was hobbling up and down the field. He has the mindset that coaches love in a quarterback and he’s a competitor. That’s not something that every quarterback possesses.

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The Bruins are quickly approaching point with their football program where they have to produce big results soon or perhaps changes could be on the horizon. If this is the last season for Rosen with the NFL around the corner, he has to take command in spring football and lead the way for his teammates. Having the luxury of stealing the headlines and the adversity of disappointment could prove to be a blessing for Rosen. He’s faced a lot in his college career already and it should make him an even better quarterback going forward.