WESTWOOD—UCLA quarterback, Josh Rosen, has returned for the Bruins’ spring practices following his recovery from a shoulder surgery he underwent last year.
The right-handed Rosen, 20, sustained an injury in his throwing shoulder on October 8, 2016 during a loss against Arizona State University. He sat out for the remaining six games of the season, and underwent surgery in November 2016 to repair damaged tissues; he noted the injury was similar to the feeling of pulling a hamstring.
During the first six games in 2016, Rosen obtained a 3-3 record. At the end of the season, the Bruins cultivated a 4-8 record.
“It sucked — it wasn’t as much what was happening around the conference as much as it was just like seeing all the guys out on the field grinding and knowing you’re not out there with them,” Rosen asserted to Yahoo Sports.
At the beginning of the season, Rosen expressed a desire to make it to a national championship. After a five month absence, he now plans to improve on a day-to-day basis.
Rosen spoke with LA Times about his recovery process:
“A lot of guys with full reconstructive surgeries, whether it be knees, shoulders, anything like that, when they’re out eight to nine months it takes a real strong mental toll and you really have to fight through it,” he said.
Rosen played football for St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, CA, during which he was named the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year. He replaced Brett Hundley as the Bruins’ starting quarterback after Hundley was drafted by the Green Bay Packers.
After starting every single game in the 2015 season, completing 28 out of 35 passes for 351 yards including 3 touchdowns in the season opener against the University of Virginia, he became the Pac-12 Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. He was awarded Freshman All-American honors by USA Today and Sporting News.
