ESPN: Brett Hundley May be "Headed for a Redshirt Season"
by Achilles on Apr 20, 2011 9:12 AM PDT
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Peter Yoon from ESPNLA reports that Brett Hundley may be "headed for a redshirt season":
Expectations for Hundley were sky-high when he graduated high school early and enrolled at UCLA in time to participate in spring practice, but he's shown his age and lack of experience this spring.
Hundley has not yet grasped the complexities of the college game, struggling with reads, formations and protections as he experienced the college game for the first time.
There is no doubt that he has a ton of natural talent. He throws a nice ball and his running ability has really opened some eyes this spring, but he's also relied a bit too heavily on that running ability by tucking and taking off when he can't immediately decipher what is happening around him.
Hundley will one day be the starting quarterback for UCLA, but this spring has shown that that he still needs a bit of seasoning. He will be behind Richard Brehaut and Kevin Prince entering fall camp and it appears as though he's headed for a redshirt season.
This should not be a surprise. Expectations from some UCLA fans, frustrated after years of ineffective QBing have been sky high but around here we have tried to remain realistic.
We were badly burned by the expectations around Ben Olson. Richard Brehaut was a highly recruited QB hand-picked by Norm Chow when he came out of high school. Acclamating to a college game takes time. It is more challenging at a place like our program, where we haven't had a decent OL to protect our QB for years. So the news about Hundley possibly red-shirting should not be surprising.
The good news is that Hundley appears to be a very mature young man, who is "wise beyond his years":
Perhaps his biggest strength, though, is his calmness and ability to dissect things logically and avoid any panic. He's still a teenager trying to transition from high school to a BCS school, yet he's pretty even-keeled.
"Once you know your stuff, the speed is practically the same (as high school)," Hundley said. "It's when you don't know your stuff, the speed is really fast."
"He's come a long way," Neuheisel told FOX Sports West recently. "It's starting to slow down for him, but as he's trying to figure it out he's playing slow, so we got to get him quickened up and play at the speed he's capable so he can go fast; but he took a big step to me in that regard."
This 6-foot-4, 225-pound quarterback is serious about his role for the Bruins. And very cerebral. He knows there's a lot of angst and frustration in the bleachers.
"I try not to look at the pressure that certain people put on me," Hundley said. "My dad always tells me, I'm only 17 years old. I'm one of the youngest kids here. I was one of the youngest kids on my high school team."
He should take his time. Last thing Hundley and UCLA need is for him to get out there early and get his confidence shot. My preference would be to keep developing Richard Brehaut as the starter heading into this camp, work Prince in as a backup and only use Hundley as an emergency option for next season. May be Rick Neuheisel will not have the luxury to redshirt Hundley next season as he is on hot seat, but that would be the right strategic approach for his fourth season in Westwood.
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That is AWESOME!
Excuse my snark, but heading into a season where I have very little faith in the coaching staff (based on the last couple of years) I was sincerely looking for a Denard Robinson or Terrelle Pryor type savior to give us something to be excited about.
So as I see it, our O line is still giving us problems. We are going to use the same two quarterback from last year. Brehaut can throw, but can’t run the pistol. Prince can run the pistol, but can’t throw. And our O line will give the Rick a reason to call conservative games. Without an effective field goal kicker. Awesome.
/contemplatingcollegefootballsuicide
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
It's not so bad.
It sounds like Brehaut has taken a step forward this offseason, and its very encouraging that Prince has been able to participate in 7 on 7’s. Hundley might not be ready to step into the starter’s role, but he could probably play this season if we needed him to. We will have three viable options at qb. When was the last time you could say that about UCLA? ’05? With Olson, Olson, and Cowan?
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there are no concerns at the position, or with the OL, or our kicking game, but (assuming Prince and our injured OL can come back) there is reason to think that we will have the most stability and experience at the QB and OL positions at any point during CRN’s tenure. That’s not saying a lot, like I said, it could be worse.
We're havin' too much fun today. We ain't thinkin' 'bout tomorrow.
Dude, a bit dramatic?
Prince can throw the ball just fine, perhaps not the prettiest deep ball but it’s not like our offense is predicated on lots of deep balls. Brehaut probably can’t run the pistol all the time, but it will only be part of the package now. We’ll be fine.
As for the coaching staff, it’s all pretty much new, so I don’t know how you can have “very little faith” based on the last couple of years. It’s an unknown, for sure, but not because of the last couple of years. Pretty much unrelated. CRN is still there of course, but it looks like the dynamics are different. We’ll know soon.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Um yeah. I was intentionally being over-dramatic. Good catch there.
Sarcasm and humor aside, the Rick has a lot to prove this season. And, while Johnson and Tresey sound like they have hit the ground running, I can easily see our illustrious leader fouling it all up. And until he himself proves he has learned to relax that clenched sphincter muscle when calling up plays, it won’t matter how daring or innovative our Coordinators are.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
True Freshman quarterbacks almost never perform well
they are most often a sign of desperate program with zero qb depth more than they are a sign of a great qb.
by silverlakebruin on Apr 20, 2011 10:49 AM PDT up reply actions
There are exceptions I think
Vince Young, Colt McCoy and the guy across town (I think Young and McCoy were true freshmen). The difference though is they all played behind solid OL. Cade McNown also played behind a decent OL. If the OL improves a lot this off-season, I could see Hundley having a shot next season.
Sua Fili Mua Returns that year as well
Fili Mua (sp) returns from his mission that year as well. Would be wise for him to wait for the beast to return
Bruin 1986
'Bout 10 miles off on that name.
Xavier Su’a-Filo.
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
by OswegoBruin on Apr 20, 2011 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions
"10 miles"
LOL
"The entire world that bleeds blue and gold ... they have been dying for this." - Coach Rick Neuheisel
Wow, if we get Sua FIli Mua too, that would be awesome!!!!
Don’t know who he is, but he sounds awesome! Maybe Dr. Mexican can shed some light on this?
formerly Westwood78
by PhoenixBruin on Apr 20, 2011 1:07 PM PDT up reply actions
Vince Young redshirted
Colt McCoy, Taylor Martinez and Andrew Luck were all redshirt freshmen too.
Unless Hundley is a very rare talent, redshirting him is the most responsible move for both him and the team. I completely agree with the main post.
Rob Bolden of Penn State, Jeff Godfrey of Central Florida
both true freshman, both performed pretty damn well.
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
by OswegoBruin on Apr 20, 2011 10:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Sam Bradford was a true freshman IIRC
Of course, somebody will bring up the traditionally great O lines at OU. To which I’ll respond/repeat our O line is in shambles.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
Yes you are very right... notable exceptions
Martinez at Nebraska and the stanford QB as well as sucs QB.
by GogetemBruins on Apr 20, 2011 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Cade
didn’t do all that hot his first year, but it was a great year for him to get under his belt.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
He didn't do all that great his second year either
It was his third year where he really took off.
by bruinbabe2000 on Apr 20, 2011 2:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Sorry but I don't buy it.
We’ll redshirt him IF we believe that Prince can really go, and perform better, if Brehaut goes down. Peter’s going on pure speculation, not coaching info. There’s a reason Prince got minimal scrimmage run. I highly doubt he beats out Hundley for the 2nd spot on the depth chart.
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
I actually think Prince will be our opening day starter
Assuming his health is 100% by the fall practices.
by insomniacslounge on Apr 20, 2011 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions
If he is
I will be highly disappointed in Brehaut, and I could see him transferring. If he can’t beat out a beat up Prince who missed spring camp, and a very raw freshman, he is not the QB I thought he could be. I think Brehaut will win out, but let’s see how fall practice goes. If you’re right, Hundley will very likely redshirt.
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
This is all conjecture from me
But if Brehaut can’t beat out Prince, where is he going to go that he’d start? It would have to be an FCS school, I would think. In that case, I don’t know if it’s a cut and dried situation to transfer.
by insomniacslounge on Apr 20, 2011 9:55 AM PDT up reply actions
My use of the conditional
implies that it’s not cut and dried. I said I “could” see him transferring, not sure that he would. :)
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
I just did that at work 5 minutes ago
bigger fail by me
But hey, what do I know. I’m just the 800 lbs bruin in the room.
Brehaut
…is going to get PT this year, whether that is as a starter or backing up the oft injured Prince. What he does with that opportunity will ultimately determine if he sticks it out here…but I don’t think he’ll transfer a la Milton Knox, who left because he felt like he didn’t get a fair shake. Brehaut has been given more than enough opportunity to prove himself on the field.
Should be interesting
While I think Brehaut is the better overall passer, I think Prince is better in running the Pistol and quicker with his reads. While I think the overall lean here on BN is in Brehaut’s favor, I’ve never felt that either has stood head and shoulders above the other in running this offense. Personally, I don’t care who emerges as the starter, as long as whomever it is has clearly demonstrated himself as the superior by this fall, and can stay healthy.
I agree
however, that being said, running an offense is only half the battle, to use G.I. Joe parlance. The other half is making good decisions with the football, especially with the pistol, and in the passing game. I think Prince is ahead of Brehaut in that regard as well, however who knows if either of those skills will develop in the future. I believe Hundley is intelligent enough to grasp the offense, learn (and execute) the appropriate reads, and still surpass both in playmaking ability.
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
by OswegoBruin on Apr 20, 2011 11:36 AM PDT up reply actions
I also have a hard time buying it
Rick doesn’t have the long-term job security to be making decisions that impact whether Hundley will be his starting QB in year 8 of his tenure. If Hundley redshirts this year (year 4), it seems unlikely he’ll displace a senior starter in the make-or-break year 5. If Rick is following a 5-year plan, I think he knows he needs Hundley to be the starter in year 5 if he wants to have the success that will secure his job. I’d expect to see Hundley worked in as a backup this year, maybe thrown out there for a couple of series here and there to change things up if we’re struggling to move the ball, and given some of the experience he’ll need to be a successful QB in the year 5 C.R.N. …
On the contrary.
As I stated above, I believe our quarterback play up to this point has not been strong enough, even in a senior year, to be strong enough to displace Hundley, who has excellent potential to replace either quarterback.
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
by OswegoBruin on Apr 20, 2011 11:40 AM PDT up reply actions
given the risk aversion Rick seems to have
I have a hard time buying that in 2012 he will want to go to a freshman QB with no game experience when he has 2 experienced guys. That would be 4 different offenses in 4 years (taking Hundley as starter as equivalent to an offensive change, given what appears to be a different style and skill set from the other QBs). I totally agree that Hundley has the potential to supplant either of the other guys, but I would expect them to want to get him on the field in some capacity this year if they want him to be in the starting mix the next year. I think Rick would rather have the QB controversy this year (why isn’t Hundley playing more) than next year (why are we starting a freshman who is making freshman mistakes ahead of our returning starter senior).
I wonder about the possibility of situational packages, a la Tebow in his freshman year, though I realize people will immediately cite large numbers of failed dual QB systems.
by VeniceBruin on Apr 20, 2011 12:15 PM PDT up reply actions
My thoughts exactly.
I wasn’t implying that he would redshirt then play, but that he would likely see action this year with the obvious likelihood being competing for a starting job ASAP. Heck I could see it by game 6 of this season. Who knows?
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
by OswegoBruin on Apr 20, 2011 12:23 PM PDT up reply actions
As optimistic as I am about Hundley
I believe if he sees any significant playing time this year, we are in trouble. That would mean both Prince and Brehaut falter, from poor play or injury. Redshirting him would be a luxury, not a sign that the young man isn’t as good as advertised. As excited as we are to see this young man play, we should all be rooting for the redshirting scenario.
Good Move, IMHO
Just the simple fact that the kid needs to get some experience in learning a new system from the ground up. It just takes time so why burn year one of his eligibility when a red-shirt year would make sense?
Los Angeles Rams and the UCLA Bruins!!!!!
by Minnesota Bruinfan on Apr 20, 2011 10:47 AM PDT reply actions
He's been on campus for less than 4 months
cut the kid some slack. He has all the physical tools to be a starter. He’s catching up to the mental aspect of the game, by all accounts the kid is very smart. He says all the right things in interviews and seems to be hitting that playbook as much as possible.
Some of the recent practice reports have mentioned that he’s improving. Even noting how he’s checked out of a few plays and identified the blitz. The more time he spends working on this during the summer, the better he’ll be. If he’s this good after 4 months, think about how much more he will have improved by the time season starts.
Now, I don’t think we’ll see him as a full time starter. However, I do believe we will see him on special packages created for him, a la tim tebow as a freshman.
I guess it reads different
than how I meant it. I know you did cut him slack.
i don'tthink he'll redshirt personally
but i don’t think and i hope he doesn’t start this year. i think really highly of hundley but true freshman qbs do not do well. period. young and mccoy both redshirted at texas. denard robinson was exciing but he got hurt and his coach got canned. other exceptions thrown out were made to look better behind accomplished and seasoned olines. though ours is dratically better than in years past, there are still questions. last thing you wanna do is blow the kid’s confidence. i think brehaut starts and prince is back up. best case scenari is hundley redshirts but with an oft injured #2 like kp, i dont think crn has the luxury, unless schuh or bell have more in the tank than im assuming to be a solid 3. plus i really think crn and coach johnson will have a hundley offensive package a la tebow’s freshman yr at florida.
Across The Face
This should be good news
As posted above, if Brehaut can’t beat out a true freshman, we are still in trouble. To expect a true freshman QB to be effective in a new/revised offensive scheme behind our OL is unrealistic. I would think having him as a fifth year senior would make much more sense that burning his freshman redshirt.
And, not that I put much stock into this comment without seeing him in action, but, Jon Gold wrote earlier in the week that Nick Crissman had a good passing day. It would be great if that kid could get healthy enough to contribute, especially if it would save us Hundley’s redshirt.
Brehaut needs his chance
This would be the first time Brehaut gets a full spring with the 1’s and has a chance to start in Game 1. He deserves his chance.
If he falters, Prince should get the nod as long as he is still ahead of Hundley.
And of course, I, like Peter Yoon, have no idea what’s really gonna happen!
Some scattered comments
First I agree with the statement that neither Bre nor Prince is head-and-shoulders above the other. Each has strengths that would make him the starter if the offense were built on that. Without knowing what offense we’re running (and/or what combo) I don’t know who I want to start. But I hope to god that the coaches understand that Bre & Prince are not interchangeable.
Second, I still don’t think it is fair to call Prince ‘injury prone’ – or if we do, then we should call our entire team injury prone it seems. If memory serves, the Oline we saw last season was not the Oline the coaches were expecting to have. How many of our players have had medical redshirts? (I dunno, what’s the average for BCS teams) Plus, I recall years ago BN’ers were discussing why a number of our players broke bones in their feet – was it the shoes or the turf? Then last year the same conversation came up. What up?
Third, I am not sure that CRN is a conservative coach. I mean the guy switched to a completely new offense – when he didn’t have any experience with it, nor did his staff. That sounds bold to me (and there’s a thin line between bold and desperate). The coaches were learning the new system as they were teaching it – and is it any surprise our team had a very thin playbook? How creative can you be with only had four plays. In truth, I was one of the early critics complaining about his conservative style – that in some games he wasn’t even playing not to lose. I was chastened by some BN’ers who pointed out that making bold agressive efforts – like going for it on 4th down on your own side of the field – can send the signal that you’re desperate and panicky… it depends how your team is playing.
Fourth, I am looking forward to this Saturday. It’ll let me know whether I’ll be drinking heavily this Fall – lol.
There are diffferent kinds of conservatisms.
Flashback to Sat, Dec. 4th. against USC. Fourth and 1 on our own 35 yard line and down by 7 points. There seems to be some disagreement on the sidelines about about going for it. We form up like we’re going for it. We try some bullshit “draw them off sides” gimmick which fails. We promptly get called for delay of game.
Whether he called the play or allowed Chow to call it, it still falls on Neuheisel for letting it happen. It was one of the worst calls I’ve ever seen in person. It’s 4th and 1 for God’s sake, with time ticking away. If you play to win, you don’t hesitate from such a decision. You certainly don’t go with some half measure of a gimmick play. If your hard nosed, you run it and smash them in the face. If you’re progressive, you spread the field and hit a quick slant for the easy pick up of a few yards. maybe, if you are cunning, you draw up the option play, sell them on the run, and pass it instead.
My point is simply this: In Rick’s biggest personal test of leadership since taking over our beleagured program, he wilted. Like a deer in the headlights.
The best thing you can do for your children is to love their mother. John Wooden
That was
the most embarrassing play I have ever seen in my life. I was mortified when I saw that. A-la England’s goalie in the WC against the US letting the ball in the net.
"Every day was a good day at UCLA." -Coach John Wooden
by OswegoBruin on Apr 22, 2011 12:58 PM PDT up reply actions
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