Bruener's Ready to Go in UW Opener, No Matter How He's Used
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With every college football coaching change, players tend to freak out because they have to start over in building trust with the men who determine playing time. Whereas someone might have been a starter before doesn't guarantee anything moving forward.
Just ask sophomore quarterback Dylan Morris, who started 15 times over the past two seasons yet will back up Michael Penix Jr. against Kent State in Saturday night's season opener.
Or junior right tackle Victor Curne, who will step aside for redshirt freshman Roger Rosengarten after opening 16 times over two seasons.
Then there's sophomore linebacker Carson Bruener, coming off a five-start season in which he was sensational at times, earning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors following a stirring 16-tackle, 1 1/2-sack and a forced-fumble performance at Stanford in his first game-opening assignment.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Bruener will come off the bench in the opener, playing behind fellow sophomore Alphonzo Tuputala. His play hasn't diminished at all.
The new staff simply brought in transfer Cam Bright from Pittsburgh and Kris Moll from UAB, both sixth-year seniors, plus those coaches took an instant liking to the 6-foot-2, 238-pound Tuputala, an always promising player now fully recovered from a 2021 spring Achilles tendon tear.
Bruener, the son of Husky and NFL tight end standout Mark Bruener, is OK with this. He's going to play a lot regardless and he's going to keep competing to be a No. 1 linebacker, but he welcomes the boost in competition.
"Whatever role they give me, I'm going to take and go 100 percent with it," Bruener said. "I would say with the additions we have in Cam Bright and Zo coming back from his injury last year, and Kris Moll coming in, and even Demario [King], who's dealing with his back, having that much talent in the linebacker room is crazy to see."
While some might let their egos get in the way after a lineup change such as his, Bruener welcomes the firepower because he sees all of the linebackers having more of fighting chance to maintain
"Knowing we could actually play five, six, seven guys on Saturdays, and be able to keep our bodies healthy throughout a 12-game, 13-game season, it's honestly awesome," he said.
As it stands, Bright and Tuputala will open against Kent State, Bruener and Moll will come on the field next, and sophomore Daniel Heimuli, a two-game starter in 2021, and sophomore walk-on Drew Fowler represent a third wave of players, with the superbly talented Edefuan Ulofoshio recovering from a knee injury and not expected back until midseason or later.
With three years of eligibility in hand, Bruener will need to pace himself some as he pursues his own NFL career, inspired by his father, who played 14 seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans and now scouts for the Steelers.
"I've definitely learned from the best," Carson Bruener said. "Growing up and just watching him, day in and day out, putting in the work and seeing what it takes to play at the highest level, that's the ultimate goal of mine. He's just a huge role model of mine."
This Bruener, with the upbeat manner in which he's approaching what could be an ego-driven situation, especially with his playing credits so far, is proving to be a positive example, as well.
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