With so many returning players coming into the 2021 season for UCLA, one of the potentially key components could be someone who has only played one game in his UCLA career. Myles Jackson may have missed most of last year. But Jackson\u2019s journey back for UCLA has a lot of people inside Bruins football talking about the potential for the linebacking group.<\/p>\n
The second-year linebacker from Hoschton, Georgia was injured in week one<\/a> last season at Colorado. After season-ending knee surgery, Jackson began his therapy. While there is never anything good about needing knee surgery, Jackson tried to find some positives to surround himself with. \u201cWhen it happened, I just pretty much tried to think of all the positive aspects that could come out of it. I tried to get my playbook. And I still tried to be around the team. I tried to attend all the walk-throughs,\u201d Jackson said earlier this week. \u201cAbove all, I had to attack rehab. Because I knew being negative about it wasn\u2019t going to help anyone. It wasn\u2019t going to help me. It wasn\u2019t going to help anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n That path of handling the recovery has not gone unnoticed from his head coach, Chip Kelly. \u201cFrom day one, when he came in here, there was a maturity to him,\u201d Kelly said. He came in here and planned on playing as a true freshman. And he played as a true freshman.\u201d It wasn\u2019t the way anyone had planned. His total stat line for the game was one solo tackle. And one bad knee. Just days later he was on his personal Instagram account announcing that he would require surgery for the injury and be out for the remainder of the shortened season. Even if UCLA had played its regular 12 game season, it is unlikely Jackson would have been available for any of it.<\/p>\n Remember, the Pac 12 season did not start until November 7th<\/sup>. By the time Jackson announced his knee surgery, it was on a date that under normal circumstances would have been the halfway point of a regular season. But last year getting hurt in week one, meant surgery in late November. That created an abbreviated calendar for rehab and recovery.<\/p>\n Kelly says he was not surprised by Jackson\u2019s ability to rehab and be back for Spring<\/a>. It emanated from that confidence that Jackson displayed so early on. \u201cIt was never too big for Myles,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cSometimes, when kids make that jump from high school to college, you know it\u2019s hard,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know, you go from a high school environment where you\u2019ve got maybe 2,000 kids in high school, now you\u2019re strolling onto a college campus, and you\u2019re playing in front of big crowds, and all that other stuff. And it takes awhile to get acclimated to it. That\u2019s why you see some kids blossom a little later. Very rarely do you have a good player who\u2019s a freshman that just seems like he\u2019s been there for the longest time.\u201d<\/p>\n Kelly said Jackson was prepared from the time he started last season. There were only three Spring camp workouts prior to the COVID shutdown. But early enrollees had a chance to do walk throughs on the field and workouts in the facility. \u201cYou know, you\u2019re one week into training, because he came in early, and it\u2019s like he has been here for a year-and-a-half. He knew where he was supposed to be. He had an unbelievable work ethic. We had to pull him back a little bit. He was a kid that was always trying to stay extra after our training session and do more.\u201d Kelly said knowing the physical adjustments freshmen go through, the coaching staff did not want him overextending himself.<\/p>\n Jackson has been working out throughout Spring camp, but last week he posted on social media what he had been working so hard for.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve just been officially medically cleared!!!! Thank God\ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udfff<\/p>\n — Myles Jackson (@_mylesjackson) May 13, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nEarly Confidence<\/h3>\n
Easy Transition<\/h3>\n
\n