UCLA Football: Where is LB Mique Juarez?

For the second day in a row, freshman linebacker Mique Juarez has been absent from UCLA Football’s fall camp. Is something brewing or is this just a few days off?

When a player needs time to himself, UCLA Football Head Coach Jim Mora has been fine giving said time to his players but has also been protective of that player’s privacy.

Yesterday, another player was absent from practice and Mora plainly stated that he has had an “excused absence”. That player is former 5-star linebacker Mique Juarez.

Normally, one would think nothing of a player missing practice, especially if he has a pass from his coaches, but there is something about this temporary absence that seems a bit off, especially after the response Mora gave today following UCLA Football’s morning session.

Last year around the same time, true freshman WR Cordell Broadus was missing from the start of fall camp and Mora stated that he was excused from practice, but not even a full week into the first week of camp it came out that Broadus quit the team (he re-joined this past spring and then quit again past Monday).

Now I am not saying that Juarez has quit the team, but there is definitely something afoot, especially when analyzing the response Mora gave at practice. This week in camp, Mora has been particularly upbeat due to the work and progress the team has made as a whole, but he locked it down when it came time to answer questions about Juarez.

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So what is going on with Juarez (not that it’s our business either)? Time will tell with this situation, but whatever it is, we hope the young man is okay. Go Bruins!