UCLA Football: Brett Hundley wants to be a complete QB, bring Bruins back to prominence
By Jack Crosby
The UCLA Bruins under head coach Jim Mora have been on the rise in the Pac-12 Conference in recent years, and much of that success can be attributed to the play of redshirt junior quarterback Brett Hundley.
In 2013, Hundley threw for over 3,000 yards with 24 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. The Bruins just narrowly missed out on the opportunity to return to the Pac-12 title game, and once the season ended with a blowout win over Virginia Tech, there were some that considered it a near lock that Hundley would be off to the NFL.
Ultimately, Hundley decided against trying to go get paid and he will be back this season with Mora and the Bruins, and it’s because he wants to finish what he and his teammates have started.
“We’ve started something really great here,” told ESPN recently. “I couldn’t run away from that. Not yet. I really wanted to leave the money out of [the decision], which was hard to do. For a while, my head was going crazy. But I came back, and I’m happy with the decision. I have my priorities: bring UCLA back to national prominence and get my degree.”
While Hundley is thinking about the success of the team, he also knew that he needed to get better personally as well, and wants to become a better quarterback this season.
“I wanted to know how to be a better quarterback,” said Hundley, who already holds several UCLA records. “I want to be a complete quarterback. Not just on the field, but off it. Those guys have all done big things. I asked them about the stuff you wouldn’t think to ask, and it really helped me.
Hundley is smart enough to know that his progression as a quarterback will translate into bigger success for the team this year, and just his presence on the field this season alone has the Bruins as one of the favorites in the Pac-12.