LJ FB: Oxy in the future?

By Ed Piper, Jr.


At the reception for the new head football coach at La Jolla High Mon., March 13, Tyler Roach said that Collin Rugg, his former Viking quarterback in 2013-2014, had been by school Monday and "helped with the quarterbacks".


Roach was later asked if he knew the La Jolla High graduate's plans for next year. Roach responded: "I think for football it would be Occidental (College). Non football would be UCLA or SDSU from what I'm hearing."


Rugg, who set the CIF San Diego Section record for passing touchdowns in a season with 46 while at La Jolla, left William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, outside of Kansas City, after the Fall 2016 season and returned home in San Diego. He was attending Jewell on a full-ride Division 1 football scholarship through his first and second seasons in college.


The 2015 La Jolla High graduate is presently enrolled in online college courses while he applies to universities in Southern California.


Collin indicated last week that he was considering options for his future that include football as well as ones that don't.


According to the William Jewell College football website, the 6'3" passing virtuoso redshirted his first year in college, as his eligibility status for the 2016 football season was listed as redshirt freshman. This would mean he has three years of playing eligibility remaining.







Rugg was third on the depth chart at quarterback this past season for the Cardinals, who suffered through a 1-9 season. He only played substantially in two games, going 6 for 14 in passing in each of the two games, with three interceptions in the latter game.


He could probably see the writing on the wall, with both quarterbacks ahead of him--both of whom redshirted, as well--likely returning next year: Brad Strauss, the number one, a redshirt junior, with 1,489 yards passing, and Jared Hobby, the number two, a redshirt sophomore, with 745 yards.


If he had stayed at Jewell, it's very possible that he would have waited two more years to play regularly only his senior year, his fifth year in college.