UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen may or may not play in the Cactus Bowl against Kansas State as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
According to Kellis Robinett of the Kansas City Star, Rosen is still not cleared to play and will be a game-time decision Tuesday.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen still not cleared to play in @Cactus_Bowl he has been splitting reps with backup Devon Modster in practice. Game-time decision on who starts.
— Kellis Robinett (@KellisRobinett) December 23, 2017
Rosen injured his shoulder in the final game of the regular season against Cal. He’s said he’ll play in the bowl game if he’s healthy, but at this point the decision doesn’t appear to be up to him.
Appearing in 11 games for the Bruins this year, Rosen completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 3,717 yards with 26 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He’s widely considered to be a lock as a top-5 pick should he declare for the 2018 NFL Draft. To this point, however, Rosen has not made any announcement other than to say all reports indicating he will come out of school are baseless.
Please stop reporting false news. I have not made any significant decisions and do not plan on it any time soon. All you guys are doing is making me answer calls and texts from concerned friends and family members.
— Josh Rosen (@josh3rosen) December 7, 2017
Given Rosen’s penchant for going against the grain, we wouldn’t be surprised whatsoever if he did decide to stay in school one more year. After all, he’d have the opportunity to play for Chip Kelly, who has been known to get the most out of his quarterbacks. Whether he comes out this year or in 2019, Rosen has the tools to become a franchise quarterback at the next level.