On a hot summer day in Los Angeles, Ikaika Malloe saw something unexpected.

Then UCLA’s outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator, Malloe was running over schemes with his special teams ahead of the 2022 season.

When the second team made its way in to oppose the first-stringers, Malloe watched a walk-on beat down his stars and block several kicks. Stunned, Malloe thought, “What are you doing on that side of the ball? He should be on our side of the ball,” he said in a phone interview with The Post.

From there, Carson Schwesinger made himself known at UCLA.

It didn’t matter to him that his breakout season didn’t come until his junior year, which turned Carson Schwesinger into one of the top linebackers in this year’s draft.{ai:summary}<p>Carson Schwesinger, a walk-on player at UCLA, caught the attention of outside linebackers coach Ikaika Malloe during a summer practice. Schwesinger's impressive performance in blocking kicks against the first-stringers led Malloe to consider him for a different position on the team.</p><p>His unexpected skills have made a significant impact as the season progressed. #sports</p>

How Carson Schwesinger rose from UCLA walk-on to one of the top prospects in 2025 NFL Draft

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