Stacking up the Pac-10: Quarterbacks - Kevin Prince

Prince could be king of L.A. if he can be the next Troy Aikman

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The Pac-10 has seemingly always been a quarterback conference.  If a team is going to win the conference, they will need solid play from their starter -- at a minimum.

Solid play isn't necessarily making a highlight reel every week.  No, instead it's avoiding the big turnover and giving the rest of the offense an opportunity to perform at a high level.

In 2008, the UCLA Bruins didn't receive that from their starting quarterback Kevin Craft.  In Rick Neuheisel's return to UCLA as head coach, (he quarterbacked the team in 1983), quarterback play was the most glaring problem on the 4-8 (3-6 Pac-10) squad.

Craft went 232-417, 2,341 yards, seven touchdowns, and 20 picks in 2008 (a school record).  While throwing the most interceptions in the Pac-10, he also had the third-highest completion average (19.33 per game) in the conference.

This is why, had he won the starting job in spring ball, the UCLA quarterback would remain in the No. 8 position on this list.

#8 - Kevin Prince (UCLA Bruins)

The redshirt freshman may have been a more notable recruit for UCLA had his senior year in high school not ended the way it had -- a right knee injury in the first quarter of the first game of his senior year.  Even without playing his senior year due to the injury, Scout.com and Rivals.com both had him rated with three stars and ranked 40th and 25th respectively out of the class of 2008 quarterbacks class.

With an opportunity to start for the Bruins this year, Prince put his Mormon mission on hold in order to make the most of his good fortune.  So far, his decision is paying off after being named the starter at the conclusion of spring ball.  If he's able to hold onto the job, he'll be the first Bruin freshman to start at quarterback since Bret Johnson in 1989.

During spring ball, Prince was barely better than Craft, but he was better.  His performance elevated him on the Bruins' depth chart, but being named the starter wasn't enough for Prince.  He expects more out of himself than what he did during the spring practices.  After being named starter, he told reporters in a teleconference:

It's nice to have the position, but they can take it away just as quickly as they gave it to me...Just because I got named the starter doesn't change the way I feel.  I could have done a lot better [in spring practice].

Prince is known to have a strong arm and good mobility in the pocket.  His quick release should help him if UCLA's offensive line (35 sacks in '08) hasn't improved from last season and his ability to break out of the pocket for a first down will be invaluable to the team.

UCLA offensive coordinator Norm Chow is confident in the decision to go with Prince as the starter.  In an interview conducted by ESPN's Ted Miller, Chow explains what has him impressed with the young quarterback:

He's bright. He's strong. He's got a nice arm. He understands the game.

If UCLA can give Prince any sort of protection this season, they may avoid the cellar of the conference in 2009.  Many of the pundits have already chosen UCLA for a bowl appearance and some have dubbed them as the most improved Pac-10 team for '09.

Improved or not, it will come down to one thing for the Bruins: Is Kevin Prince a better option than Kevin Craft at quarterback?

So far, Norm Chow and Rick Neuheisel think so.  And that's all that matters.

Andrew Luck

Danny Sullivan