UCLA Football: Ethan Garbers Reveals This Bruin Has Made Large Jump This Offseason

UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers sang the praises of this colleague.

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Bruins are one month out from their first game of the 2024 season. As UCLA football prepares for its first season in the Big Ten conference, quarterback Ethan Garbers named a teammate who has skyrocketed this offseason.

“I would say Carson Schwesinger,” Garbers said in a press conference at Big Ten Media Day when asked about who has made significant improvement this offseason. “He’s a middle linebacker. He’s made a huge jump from last year and in the spring ball this past year. He’s been phenomenal.”

Schwesinger, a redshirt junior linebacker, appeared in all 13 games in the Bruins’ middle-of-the-pack Pac-12 finish last season. He had a season-high four tackles against North Carolina Central and Oregon State. His defensive performance last season led to Schwesigner being named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2023-24 Academic All-District Football Team.

Last season was Schwesinger’s second time playing in all 13 of the Bruins’ games. The Moorpark, California native held the role of a reserve linebacker and on special teams in both the 2022 and 2023 seasons. During his freshman season, he did not see the field but was awarded a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for Fall 2021.

Schwesinger will add depth to the Bruins' linebacker unit after UCLA lost a significant piece to their defense. Last season's leading tackler and second-team All-Pac-12 selection Darius Muasau was drafted in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft by the New York Giants. He was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player in the 2023 LA Bowl.

In addition to Schwesinger's defensive improvement, the Bruins are bringing linebackers Kain Medrano and Oluwafemi Oladejo with them to the Big Ten. The pair were the second and third leading tacklers for UCLA in 2023, respectively.

The Bruins will begin their first season with head coach DeShaun Foster on August 31 against Hawaii followed by their first game in the Big Ten against Indiana on September 14.

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