UCLA Football: OC Unpacks 3 New Additions to Offensive Line

New Bruins offensive coordinator Eric Brieniemy gives his analysis of the the newest additions to UCLA's offensive line.

Sep 23, 2023; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; UCLA Bruins offense lines up against the Utah Utes defense in the fourth quarter at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

As UCLA football heads into its first season in the Big Ten Conference, the Bruins face a massive change in offense.

Not only is UCLA getting a permanent quarterback in Ethan Garbers, they also have a completely revamped offensive line, which includes two new transfers and a veteran Bruin switching positions.

In an interview with David Woods of Bruin Report Online, UCLA associate head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Brieniemy praised Josh Carlin, who switched to Center during fall camp.

"I'll say this: Josh is very sharp. First of all, he's been here for a while, he has that leadership presence about him, and the thing I love about him–this is probably going to sound bad, I won't use the language–but he's a competitor, you know what I mean? [chuckles] He's a competitor. I love it, you know what I mean? And he has that fight in him, so he does not take anything for granted."

"On top of that, I love the accountability aspect he has as well, so it's great when you can have that leadership role but on top of that have a smart, intelligent, tough center–that makes everything a lot easier when you're putting the offense together."

Carlin is likely to face competition from Sam Yoon, who came to UCLA as a defensive end.

While Woods also wanted Brieniemy to comment on new additions Reuben Unije and Alani Makihele, the OC instead opted to talk about the offensive line as a whole.

"You know what, they're working and I don't want to start pointing out guys because I'm an O-line fan and those five guys there, we're one unit there because those give guys have to communicate more than any other group and they do a great job every day of over-communicating and on top of that making sure if they made a mistake that they're holding each other accountable for it, but I like where we are right now. We've still got a long ways to go we're not perfect, we're taking the necessary steps in the right direction, so it's been an improvement."

Both Unije and Makihele transferred to UCLA this season from Houston and UNLV respectively. Unije is projected to play at left tackle and Makihele at right guard. They'll likely be joined by Carlin at center, Garrett DiFiorgio at right tackle, and Spencer Holstege at left guard.

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