Josh Rosen officially named UCLA’s starting quarterback

Josh Rosen will be UCLA’s starting quarterback, head coach Jim Mora announced today.

The news comes more than eight months after the five-star freshman first enrolled as a Bruin, and ends a battle that pitted him against returning backup Jerry Neuheisel. Mora said he delivered the news to the quarterbacks this morning.

“You evaluate every little thing,” Mora said of the decision. “I can’t tell you that there’s a checklist, but you watch guys. … At some point, it just becomes apparent to you. You get a gut feeling. You’ve seen enough.”

UCLA, which returns its 10 other offensive starters, will opens the season against Virginia on Sept. 5 as the latest team to try and succeed with a true freshman behind center.