UCLA Quarterback Josh Rosen: "Raise the SAT requirement at Alabama

UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen is the sort of football player who has interests outside of football, is capable of generating and expressing original ideas, and doesn’t seem afraid to do so.

Which is to say Josh Rosen makes NFL scouts extremely nervous, even though they consider him to be extremely talented, as is explained by Bleacher Report.

A particular gripe of Rosen’s is this whole “student-athlete” deal, which irks Rosen not so much because players aren’t getting paid, but because playing football and matriculating through college are goals in conflict with each other.

Look, football and school don’t go together. They just don’t. Trying to do both is like trying to do two full-time jobs. There are guys who have no business being in school, but they’re here because this is the path to the NFL. There’s no other way. Then there’s the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes and then the product on the field suffers.

Rosen missed a good chunk of last season with an injury, and that time away from the field seems to have crystallized some of these thoughts.

Don’t get me started. I love school, but it’s hard. It’s cool because we’re learning more applicable stuff in my major (Economics)—not just the prerequisite stuff that’s designed to filter out people. But football really dents my ability to take some classes that I need. There are a bunch of classes that are only offered one time. There was a class this spring I had to take, but there was a conflict with spring football, so…

These criticisms of college football have been made before, but rarely by active star players, and rarely with so much mustard on them. Taking a shot at the academics of an SEC school is good sport, and should not be discouraged. Especially if you happen to be studying Economics at UCLA.

Rosen engaged B/R in a long back-and-forth on the topic, which is worth reading for the sheer novelty of seeing a college football player launch a nuanced critique of college football while complaining he doesn’t have enough time to do homework.

Oh, he’d also like to own the world.

If I wanted to graduate in three years, I’d just get a sociology degree. I want to get my MBA. I want to create my own business. When I’m finished with football, I want a seamless transition to life and work and what I’ve dreamed about doing all my life. I want to own the world. Every young person should be able to have that dream and the ability to access it. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.