Josh Rosen, subject of Jim Mora's tough-love coaching a couple weeks ago, does not carry himself like one might expect. Not for a former No. 1 quarterback recruit that immediately walked into UCLA's football building and won the starting quarterback job as a true freshman. His nickname is The Rosen One, after all.
But in an interview with Uproxx recently, Rosen displayed a level of maturity well beyond his years, one that his peers would be wise to adopt and coaches would be well-served to share with their own players.
Rosen on the recruiting process:
“I kind of feel bad for all these full-grown men that have to convince teenagers to go to a certain school. I’m telling coaches, ‘You can lay off the phone calls’. No matter how great a guy a coach is, calling me every other day is not going to affect my decision that much.”
On why he chose UCLA over the Ivy League:
“I loved Princeton. But it’s not worth it when you weigh what football can do for you outside of football. I’ve only been [at UCLA] for three months and I’ve already made connections a normal college kid shouldn’t be able to make. You have to use football in the way that’s right for you.”
Rosen has already secured an internship for the summer of 2016.
On his relaxed approach to the game:
“If anyone says I’m not doing it the right way. I don’t really care. If I was that emotionally invested, at like, a do-or-die level, I’d burn myself out. Some people hate the sport but keep rolling with it, because football is their life. It’s not my life.”
On not staying grounded:
“You can’t believe your own hype too much. You can’t forget that you’re still a teenager, still growing, still going through puberty. People take this stuff way too seriously.”
It's almost like Rosen approaches college football like it's a game played by unpaid students. What the heck is wrong with him?