Johnson Criticizes UCLA : Football: Contrary to what coaches say, quarterback says the Bruins decided not to start him months ago.

Lashing out at UCLA’s handling of its quarterback situation, former starter Bret Johnson said Wednesday that he plans to transfer to another school because the Bruin coaches had determined that he would not start this season “no matter what” he did in fall practice.

After practice Tuesday morning, Johnson was told by offensive coordinator Homer Smith that Jim Bonds was the favored quarterback among the four candidates for the position. Johnson decided to leave the team.

Earlier Wednesday, UCLA Coach Terry Donahue said he wasn’t convinced that Johnson had decided to leave school, but a statement by Johnson left little doubt.

“I believe I am part of the fallout from last season (a 3-7-1 record),” said Johnson, who started all 11 games for UCLA. “In my three years at UCLA, we’ve had three different offensive coordinators. I would now like to go to a school that has stability and can benefit from my style of play.

“Five (assistant) coaches have left UCLA, and now the quarterback has been fired. I feel strongly now that this decision was known months ago.

“The really unfair thing is they have strung me along and have now left me very little time, due to NCAA regulations . . . to find a place where I can compete for the job. The lack of forthrightness and not being honest with me is the bottom line for my leaving UCLA.”

Smith said that Bonds, a junior, stood out above the rest of the quarterbacks--Johnson, Tommy Maddox and Bert Emanuel--because of the strength of his arm. UCLA did not begin fall practice until Monday.

Smith said he hadn’t prejudged the quarterbacks and had been waiting until fall to make his decision.

“I tried to say over and again that the decision would not be based on scrimmage,” Smith said. “We would make it right away in the fall. We wanted to see when they (the quarterbacks) came back, if something separated them.”

That separation, in Smith’s opinion, was the velocity of Bonds’ passes: “Jim Bonds’ arm is alive. It has more speed.”

Johnson, a sophomore, had a different opinion of why he lost his starting job to Bonds, who backed him up in 1989.

“Following spring practice, I met with Coach Smith and asked him if the quarterback position was going to be open in the fall. He assured me that the quarterback position had not been decided and there would be open competition in the fall,” Johnson’s statement read.

“The quarterback (Bonds) has been named prior to any competition with pads (in scrimmages). My point is, the position was only open to the other quarterbacks.

“I have absolutely no problem with being a backup quarterback, but only if I were fairly beaten out by another teammate. With the recent decision of quarterback, I believe there was a pre-determination that Bret Johnson would not start at quarterback, no matter what.

“In my opinion, there has been no justifiable reason in the selection of the quarterback at UCLA. I do not want to be involved in a quarterback controversy every year as is the standard at UCLA. I am a coach’s son, and I have been taught to keep my mouth shut and go out and earn the job. I haven’t been given that chance by Coach Smith this year.”

Johnson said he plans to visit several other schools, and it has been reported that he is considering Florida State, Penn State and Texas A&M.;

Under NCAA rules he would have to sit out a year before he could play again, leaving him with two years of eligibility.

Earlier, Donahue had said he planned to meet with Johnson.

“Bret is a tremendous player,” Donahue said. “If Bret has decided to leave . . . I wish him nothing but success.”

Donahue met with Johnson’s father, Bob Johnson, Tuesday night on campus. Bob Johnson was Bret’s coach at El Toro High School in Orange County. Donahue wouldn’t reveal what was discussed during the meeting.

In regard to the quarterback selection process, Donahue said he just approved of Smith’s decision. Smith had two previous terms on the UCLA coaching staff, in the early 1970s and from 1980 to 1986, before returning to the school after last season.

“Homer came here to rework the offense,” Donahue said. “I have given him the latitude to select the offensive players he needs to win. He made a recommendation, and I accepted it.”

Donahue was unhappy about the premature leak of the story that Johnson was leaving school and Bonds had become the No. 1 quarterback.

Donahue said that he wanted to make the announcement Wednesday that Bonds had been named the starting quarterback to ensure a cooling-off period with the team.

“I didn’t want the new quarterback to be so exuberant that he says the wrong things, and I didn’t want whoever wasn’t named to say the wrong things,” Donahue said.

Asked if Johnson’s leaving and Bonds’ promotion would disrupt the chemistry of the team, Donahue said: “I think any time a quarterback decision is made where there is competition, there’s controversy involved because people have differing opinions.

“I don’t think it would be any different today than it would be the week of our opening game with Oklahoma (on Sept. 8). If Bret has left the team, it’s real unfortunate and sad and disappointing because he’s a wonderful, competitive athlete.”

As the starting quarterback, Bonds might have to look over his shoulder at his competition, namely Maddox, a redshirt freshman.

Smith said Johnson would have been the No. 2 quarterback if he hadn’t left the team, but added:

“There’s a fly in the ointment: Tommy Maddox. He’s still green, but he does things that I marvel at. He’s a very talented young man. He has the quickest arm on the team and he’s the tallest and he throws tall.”

UCLA Notes

Starting flanker Scott Miller suffered a broken collarbone in practice Wednesday and could be sidelined four to six weeks. Miller, a senior, was injured while diving for a pass.

Split end Reggie Moore may move to flanker, with Paul Richardson and Sean LaChapelle sharing the the split end position. Or Miller could be replaced by redshirt freshman Michael Moore.