UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley is planning to return to school for his junior season, the school confirmed Monday.

Quarterback Brett Hundley will return to UCLA for his junior season. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

While UCLA will be excited, there will be NFL teams that are disappointed. Two teams that scouted Hundley told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter that if Hundley had left school early, he might just be the top quarterback in the 2014 draft.

"We're going to do big things this year," Hundley said Monday. "So let's have some fun and do it.

"All the stars are really aligned to put together something really special at UCLA. And not just something that you'll forget about, but something where you'll be remembered for something along the line. When you get old, you can look back and say, 'I was part of that team and that program, and helped bring them back to where they needed to be."

Hundley had touchdown runs of 86 and 7 yards in UCLA's 42-12 victory over Virginia Tech last week in the Hyundai Sun Bowl. He finished the game with 161 yards on 10 carries and also completed 16 of 29 passes for 226 yards and two scores.

The sophomore quarterback finished the season with 3,071 passing yards and 26 touchdowns with nine interceptions, completing 67.2 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 748 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Hundley, who redshirted one season under coach Rick Neuheisel, already ranks among the most prolific quarterbacks in UCLA history with 6,816 yards passing.

Hundley spoke to former UCLA teammates Johnathan Franklin and Datone Jones about their NFL experiences while making his decision, and they encouraged him to take his time with the Bruins.

"Johnathan Franklin, he told me that there are things in life you don't want to rush," Hundley said of his former tailback, now with the Green Bay Packers. "That sort of stuck. Knowing that you're only in college once, and to play this game and to be part of this kind of brotherhood that we've built here and understand we're on the verge of something great ... is something that I really want to be a part of."

Hundley, an economics major, also indicated that a fourth year of school will allow him to get his degree from UCLA.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.