UCLA Football 2022 Positional Preview: Linebackers
With UCLA football's offseason winding down, it's time to start looking ahead to the 2022 campaign and what lies ahead for the Bruins on the gridiron. Before scouting opponents and projecting the Pac-12 pecking order, it's best to look within by picking apart how UCLA will shape up on its own sidelines.
All Bruins will be breaking down every position group over the next week, and the linebackers are up next. To catch up on the positions already covered, take a look below:
Aug. 24: Quarterbacks
Aug. 25: Running Backs
Aug. 26: Wide Receivers
Aug. 27: Tight Ends
Aug. 28: Offensive Line
Aug. 29: Defensive Line
Depth Chart
LB 1: JonJon Vaughns, junior
LB 2: Choe Bryant-Strother, redshirt sophomore
LB 3: Jalen Woods, freshman
LB 4: Erich Osteen, redshirt junior
LB 5: Ale Kaho, redshirt senior – INJURED
LB 1: Darius Muasau, senior
LB 2: Carson Schwesinger, redshirt freshman
LB 3: Jeremiah Trojan, redshirt sophomore
LB 4: Adam Cohen, redshirt junior
LB 1: Kain Medrano, redshirt junior
LB 2: Shea Pitts, super senior
LB 3: Jake Newman, junior
LB 4: Kobey Fitzgerald, redshirt senior
LB 5: Joquarri Price, redshirt sophomore – INJURED
The Bruins are already a little banged up at linebacker, tossing their depth pieces straight into the fire right off the bat.
Kaho has what appears to be a long-term injury, and his return this season is uncertain. The same goes for Price. Damian Sellers – the program's top-ranked commit in its 2020 recruiting class – is not listed on the roster and is not currently with the team.
On top of all of that, last year's two most prominent starters are gone – Jordan Genmark Heath, who ran out of eligibility, and Caleb Johnson, who transferred to Miami (FL).
The inside linebackers are facing some turnover on the sidelines as well, with Don Pellum retiring and former UCLA All-American and Super Bowl champion Ken Norton Jr. coming in to take his place. Norton is coaching under Bill McGovern, the new defensive coordinator who is fresh off stints as the New York Giants and Chicago Bears' inside linebackers coach.
No matter who stayed healthy or remained with the program, however, Muasau was going to be the leader on this new-look defense. The Hawaii transfer is coming off back-to-back seasons with 100-plus tackles and a spot on the All-Mountain West First Team.
Medrano was also poised to challenge for a starting spot of his own before all the reshuffling. The tallest linebacker in the room recorded 26 tackles and 1.0 tackle for loss in 10 games as a reserve in 2021.
Vaughns is the one who has had the most to gain from all the uncertainty elsewhere within the position group. The dynamic dual-sport athlete was busy playing for UCLA baseball during spring camp, and the high-end talent in 2021 limited him to reserve snaps despite being a part-time starter as a true freshman in 2020.
Bryant-Strother only made the switch to inside linebacker back in the spring, previously having played edge rusher. He has made a fast ascent through the depth chart over the past few months, appearing on the first official two-deep Monday night.
Pitts came on towards the end of the 2021 campaign, actually picking up a solid number of snaps versus USC and Cal before earning a scholarship in the spring. Considering Medrano has been dinged up for a lot of fall camp, it isn't all too unlikely that Pitts becomes a starter in his place should a more serious injury arise.
Schwesinger earning the backup Mike spot over Trojan was a bit of a surprise, considering he is a walk-on in only his second year in the program. Trojan may be stuck on the scout team in the meantime as a result of Schwesinger's climb, but he is a candidate to get decent snaps as the year goes on.
Woods not having to play on the scout team as a true freshman is also promising for his projection this season and beyond. Had the Bruins been fully healthy, he would surely be buried further down the depth chart, but he could challenge for actual playing time as a reserve with so many missing bodies.
Predictions
The outflow of significant contributors – either due to exhausted eligibility, the transfer portal or injury – may not be as much of a detriment to UCLA's linebacker group as it might seem on paper.
Bringing in Norton and McGovern, with all their years of NFL experience, should do wonders regardless of the personnel. The linebacker corps will be used differently under their watch, with the Bruins moving from a 4-2-5 base to a more traditional 4-3 with the ability to go multiple and defend the pass more successfully.
Medrano and Vaughns' length and athleticism are both top-tier, so if they can prove to stay healthy and be more consistent than they have been in the past, they can be the anchors of that linebacker pass defense.
Muasau is a threat to get up to 100 tackles yet again, and he could be within reach of the most tackles in the Adarius Pickett reached 128 in 2018.
Vaughns is probably the biggest threat to rack up sacks, but the new defensive philosophy will probably favor defensive ends when it comes to racking up stats in the pass rush. Bryant-Strother, given his history as an edge rusher, could also be used in that role when he does see the field.
With Kaho, Sellers and Price out, though, this linebacker group is very susceptible to collapse. Muasau, Medrano, Vaughns, Bryant-Strother and Pitts is an above average linebacker corps in the Pac-12 as currently constituted, and the hope is that the coaching staff can give them an extra bump in production.
But if Muasau or Medrano were to go down, the unit will surely take a major dip.
It is nearly impossible to predict injuries, so it may not be worth getting too caught up in that "what if." Still, one injury could tank the centerpiece of what appears to be a defensive resurgence of sorts, and that is something the Bruins simply cannot afford this fall if they want to contend for a conference title.
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