Fansided

5 reasons Josh Rosen can win the 2016 Heisman Trophy

By Nathaniel Reeves

Sep 19, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) sets to pass in the second quarter of the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2015; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) sets to pass in the second quarter of the game against the Brigham Young Cougars at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) looks to pass during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 21, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) looks to pass during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. UCLA won 17-9. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /

He proved himself worthy with an impressive debut

While UCLA as a whole trailed off after a fast 4-0 start, its hard to find much fault with Rosen’s freshman season. Rosen carried himself well as the first true freshman to ever start a season opener at quarterback for UCLA, and will be among the nation’s best signal callers if he can improve in a couple of areas.

The five-star phenom completed 60 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns, good for a quarterback rating of over 134. Those numbers weren’t as good as some of the other prolific passers of the Pac-12, but Rosen look dominant for long stretches, and earned First Team Freshman All-American honors from USA Today and The Sporting News.

Rosen had one of the best debuts by a true freshman in college football history, completing 28 of 35 passes for 351 yards and three touchdowns against the Virginia Cavaliers. While the Bruins will hope for Rosen to lower his interceptions from 11 in 2016, he had periods of remarkable accuracy and decision-making. Near the end of the season, Rosen threw 245 consecutive passes without recording an interception, shattering Drew Olson’s school record.

During his debut season, Rosen displayed gifted passing ability with a big arm that is still accurate downfield, along with an advanced ability to read defenses. That skill set is going to make Rosen a top NFL quarterback prospect when he does declare for the draft, and should help him to Heisman contention along the way.

As expected for a true freshman, there were a few rough moments, but the building blocks for Rosen to become a superstar are there, and just how impressive his freshman year was shouldn’t be underestimated.

Next: A new direction on offense

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