The Other Brett’s Decision: Hundley weighs in

Had a long chat with Chandler HS quarterback Brett Hundley, Scout.com’s No. 5 quarterback in the country, and UCLA’s top quarterback target. Really, the only quarterback target that matters for the Bruins this offseason.

Hundley has drawn raves for his multi-dimensional game, but make no mistake, he’s a thrower’s quarterback. Kid loves the pressure, loves the game and loves making the decisions. He’s faced with a tough one right now: UCLA or Washington.

Coming out of the interview, I didn’t get the impression that he favored one over the other, but if it comes down to non-football matters, which we discussed in length, UCLA could get the edge. Hundley is very interested in pre-med, and he UCLA’s medical school and hospital is playing a factor.

I’ll split the interview into two parts, one for today, one for tomorrow. Too long for one post.
I will say, this is a bright kid who is enjoying the recruiting process without getting either inflated or overwhelmed by it. I think his rather incremental ascension – he hasn’t been studied for years, but he isn’t exactly a workout wonder – has had a good effect on the talented quarterback.

Stay tuned for part two…

You haven’t done many interviews recently as things have started to heat up; was that a conscious decision, and have you been trying to keep things managed?
Brett Hundley: “The thing of it is time management. My coaches help me with it. We just have to manage our time. We started school last week, so school has started, football has come in, and a lot of that takes up time. During the summer, I was free to do anything I wanted, I could talk to anyone, do every interview. Now, with school, football, homework, man – you wake up at 5, go jogging, go to school, get out around 2:30, football practice, out of practice around 7, homework, and by 8:30 I’m ready to hit the sack.”

Talk about the pressure involved in this decision, knowing that you’ll make one fan base ecstatic and crush the other:
“It’s nice to know that whatever school I pick, I will have these fans to support me. This is a good thing. I can’t ever be mad at that. I know the L.A. fans are crazy for football, and I know the Washington fans are good too.”

When did this really blow up for you?
“The first time all this stuff blew up was after I won the competition at the Steve Clarkson camp. That was a spark with a fame in oil. Things went crazy. My name started to get out there, and it was really nice. It’s been a really good experience – a once in a lifetime experience – but it blew up really quick. It’s fun; I’m not trying to take it for the ride, but it’s a good experience to have.”

So you finally narrow it down to UCLA and Washington, two teams who haven’t had much success in recent memory…
“It was really a coincidence. It just so happened that these two teams stuck out the most. They have had some great teams – the programs might not be in the national championship picture right now, but both are going in the right direction. If I can go to one, I think I can help them get into that national ranking. It’s weird how those two came about, but those two stood out. Everyone thought I’d go to Oregon, but that wasn’t the case. But Oregon is a great school, too. You can’t get nicer than their facilities. But overall, when I thought of the schools, UCLA and Washington stood out.”

How much is the “football” really going to factor in for you, as opposed to the people, the location, the school, etc.?
“It’s both, to be honest. A lot of quarterbacks base the decision just off football. That’s not the right way to go. You have to make sure what school is right. It has to be a fit for school, the people, the place; but does it also has to deal with football. You have to win some games when you’re there. But they aren’t the same. You want to go to a school where even if you don’t win, you’ll enjoy it. The school is good at least that. You don’t want to go just for football.”