Jim Mora: UCLA is ‘no closer’ to finding a starting quarterback

Don’t expect UCLA to find a starting quarterback anytime soon.

“We are no closer,” head coach Jim Mora said Tuesday evening. “There’s nothing on the horizon in regards to a quarterback decision. I’m waiting to see somebody win the job. And nobody’s won it yet.”

More than halfway through preseason training camp, the Bruins have continued to rotate true freshman Josh Rosen and redshirt juniors Jerry Neuheisel and Mike Fafaul — declining to cut it down to even a two-man competition.

According to Mora, the quarterbacks are being constantly graded on various factors 24 hours a day. He would not say who was currently grading ahead, but insisted that the competition remains very close.

Curiously, Rosen made his first appearance on a Heisman Trophy odds ranking today, with a 40-to-1 chance at the award according to online sportsbook Bovada. The only Pac-12 quarterback with better odds is USC’s Cody Kessler (12-to-1).

“He’s able to handle the speed of this game,” Mora said of the freshman. “He’s mentally capable of handling what he needs to handle in terms of adjustments and understanding scheme and understanding coverages. He just makes progress every day.”