UCLA linebacker Ale Kaho ready for seventh season after overcoming injuries

Linebacker Ale Kaho continues to “appreciate the little things” as he returns to UCLA for his seventh season of college football.

The Reno native transferred from Alabama to join the Bruins in 2021, but he has been injured on and off throughout his career. He started two of the 11 games he played in during his debut season with UCLA, recording 32 total tackles (5½ for a loss), three sacks and a forced fumble. He also blocked a punt that was recovered for a touchdown in the season opener against Hawaii.

“I think we all know how athletic he is,” defensive coordinator Ikaika Malloe said. “He’s a really special player but it’s his availability that will be the best ability for him.

“We have to do our part to make sure he’s healthy and just the reps he takes out on the field. He doesn’t need much.”

The redshirt senior has played in 52 college games throughout his career but cited another foot injury as the reason why he was limited to just one game over the past two seasons and missed the opportunity to play for UCLA great Ken Norton Jr., who served as linebackers coach last year.

“Coach Norton and I are very tight,” Kaho said. “I just would have loved to play for him, but it was a good mental breakdown to build me back up, I guess you could say. But it just makes me more grateful now to be out here with my team and just not take it for granted.”

Kaho admitted that he had to overcome the mental aspect of the recovery to prevent any hesitation and play to the best of his ability as a potential starter for the Bruins this season.

“A lot of it’s mental because that leads to the physical part and I had to overcome a lot of mental barriers and I was questioning myself a lot,” Kaho said. “Just having to build that stuff up. I used to watch old videos of me, old plays I used to make, just to give myself some confidence or remind myself of who I am. It’s tough not playing for two years, so just things like that.”

Kaho has leaned on his past and current teammates for guidance and inspiration through his recovery process, including former UCLA standout Laiatu Latu.

Latu overcame a neck injury and had to medically retire at the University of Washington before transferring to UCLA and helping turn the Bruins’ defense into an elite unit. He was named a national co-Comeback Player of the Year after his first season in Westwood in 2022.

Kaho was named to the Comeback Player of the Year watch list on Wednesday. The linebacker’s return and style of play provide confidence for his current teammates.

“Ale’s just an explosive player, fun to play with, fun to talk to in the locker room, great guy,” linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo said. “He accelerates everybody’s confidence, just knowing Ale’s playing behind the ball, I can play fast because he’s playing fast.”

HALL OF FAME-BOUND

Coach DeShaun Foster will be inducted into the Tustin High Football Hall of Fame.

“It’s awesome,” Foster said. “We’ve had a lot of great players come from Tustin. So just to be in that hall of fame with the rest of the greats, I’m pretty excited.”

Tustin will hold a ceremony to honor Foster during halftime of its season opener against El Toro on Aug. 23.

“DeShaun Foster, known for his outstanding campaigns leading the nation in rushing and scoring, left an indelible mark on Tustin High School’s football legacy,” Timothy Ioane, president of the Tustin Football Booster Club, said in a statement. “His remarkable career as a standout player and now Head Coach of UCLA Football, has inspired generations of athletes and continues to resonate within our community.”

Foster was inducted into the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame and the inaugural class for the California High School Hall of Fame in 2022.

Foster rushed for 3,398 yards and scored rushed for 55 of his 59 total touchdowns for the Tillers in 1997. He graduated with a pair of Orange County records – 6,296 career rushing yards and 90 touchdowns.

Tustin retired Foster’s No. 26 jersey in 2010.

INJURY UPDATE

Linebacker Tre Edwards has missed the start of training camp due to an ACL injury, according to Foster.

Edwards played in just one game (vs. North Carolina Central) as a true freshman. He redshirted the rest of the 2023 season.