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Football’s Myles Jackson fully cleared for play as team nears UCLA Spring Showcase

Rising sophomore linebacker Myles Jackson has played in just one career game in his career with UCLA football, making one tackle against Colorado in the 2020 season opener. (Liz Ketcham/Daily Bruin senior staff)

By Sam Connon

May 18, 2021 5:12 p.m.

A lot has been made of the Bruins’ returning production on defense.

The majority of UCLA football’s front seven that led the Pac-12 in sacks per game in 2020 is back, with newly drafted Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa representing the only major loss. But one of the bigger names making his return – rising sophomore linebacker Myles Jackson – hardly contributed last season.

His name may sound familiar despite him only playing in one game last year, although most of that may have to do with the fact he’s only a few extra letters away from having the same name as another recent Bruin linebacker, Myles Jack.

Jackson is no Jack – he doesn’t play both sides of the ball, and he hasn’t been named to an All-Pac-12 team yet – but the former three-star recruit said he is looking to bounce back in a big way after missing six of seven games with a knee injury in 2020.

Now that he’s been added back into the fray, Jackson said he expects the defense to take an even bigger leap than it did a season ago.

“I expect us to take multiple steps,” Jackson said. “We have a full off-season, everyone’s driven, everyone has a hunger to be better and be better than before, so I see us taking big steps.”

Jackson was only given 100% clearance by the training staff a week ago, although he had been participating in most drills and walkthroughs in the first two-plus weeks of spring camp before that. Coach Chip Kelly raved about Jackson’s drive when he spoke with the media Friday morning, and Jackson attributed his faster-than-expected comeback to his mental toughness and looking on the bright side.

“When it happened, I pretty much tried to think of all the positive aspects that come out of it,” Jackson said. “I tried to get my playbook, I still tried to be around the team, I tried to attend walkthroughs and things like that.”

With Jackson back on the field, UCLA adds even more depth to an already veteran squad – depth that helps on more than just Saturdays.

A handful of players – rising redshirt senior safety Quentin Lake, rising redshirt senior center Sam Marrazzo, rising redshirt junior wide receiver Kyle Philips and rising senior wide receiver Chase Cota, among others – have been missing practice lately. Kelly said most of them had minor soft tissue issues and could return soon, but even with them out, there have been more than enough players to run drills with over three full units.

“The ability, because of our numbers, to go split field, it’s allowed us to kind of be a little more advanced and actually get more reps to teach and coach off of,” Kelly said Monday. “I’ve never been anywhere where we’ve had 100-plus kids for the spring.”

A lighter day at practice gave the Bruins a little extra rest heading into the final two weeks of spring ball, with Kelly opting to go with no pads and minimal contact Monday. There are now three practices left for the players to get their legs under them for UCLA’s Spring Showcase on May 27, the format of which is still up in the air.

No matter how the Bruins progress over the next week, rising redshirt senior defensive end Mitchell Agude said having so much depth around him has been a major plus to this point.

“It’s great just knowing the guy next to you knows what he’s doing,” Agude said. “That makes your job way easier if you have trust in the guy beside you.”

It is unclear whether UCLA will be at full strength by the end of its unorthodox spring camp, but several numerous returners and unprecedented depth have given them enough of a cushion to make it this far regardless.

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Sam Connon | Alumnus
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
Connon joined the Bruin as a freshman in 2017 and contributed until he graduated in 2021. He was the Sports editor for the 2019-2020 academic year, an assistant Sports editor for the 2018-2019 academic year and spent time on the football, men's basketball, women's basketball, baseball, men's soccer, cross country, men's golf and women's golf beats, while also contributing movie reviews for Arts & Entertainment.
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