Carson Bruener: Washington's standard won't drop in 2024 | NBC Sports

Carson Bruener on Washington Carson I saw you say that the money doesn't matter to you this is your team your program where you want to be how special is Washington to you I mean there's there's really no place like it um and that's why I said what I said and I meant what I said um nil has really changed the game and obviously there's people out there they want to get what they're worth and that's 100% like respect to them and maybe they'll jump ship or go to a different fit uh for me it's always been udub I grew up season ticket holders I went to every game envisioned myself running out of that time uh so when I got that opportunity to do so I really couldn't turn that down and now been here through all the coaching changes through ups and downs and everything um it's still a place that I love I mean it's the greatest setting for a reason um so yeah no place like it Leadership expectations there's been a lot of change with the staff like you said new conference but you're a constant with this program right now which I think is a program that's looking for that so what does that put on your plate from a leadership point of expectations yeah it feels like I got to step it up a little bit um I felt like I been a good leader uh I've led by example led by voice and so forth but now being that constant being only a few people that are still left on the team that have playing experience and uh being able to play throughout the last few few years especially with all the young guys coming in I feel like I I got to take on that task of kind of getting up getting them up to speed learning the new playbook fast I mean this is my third or fourth Playbook that I've had to learn so I've kind of gotten used to that and be able to get that down pretty quick but really just bring those young guys up because they're going to have to be playing on Saturdays and I'm going to have to count on them it's not every Practicing against NFL players year one college offense has a quarterback going the top 10 a wide receiver going the top 10 and then countless players right after them absolutely how much better did that make you practicing against those guys where it's it's an All-Star college offense basically last year every day yeah every single day I mean Mike I've never seen anyone throw it like it even Dylan Johnson at running back um our whole offensive line the Joe Moore winners and then you just move out to White out with Rome JM JP like we had Talent throughout the whole board so backing against them every single day dein C tight end Jack West like I can go on and on but it's literally like you're playing against NFL players right there and I got to be able to experience that last year while I'm still in college and still have a year left to continue to develop my game so I took that every single day as a challenge and I'm like hey these are the best of the best like they're one of the top offenses in the whole entire country um so if I can defend them and if I can stop them then I feel confident stoping Will Rogers any one it feels like coach fish didn't waste any time getting reinforcements in Will Rogers at quarterback a guy with a ton of production in the SEC how things looked for him and his comfort level so far yeah it's looked good I'd be uh I've been able to get really close with him he's one of my good friends um he's seems like he's getting the Playbook down pretty fast I mean I'm not on offense I don't know their whole Playbook and their schemes and everything uh but he's a natural born leader I mean he came out here since day one he feels comfortable talking from the whole team and every time we're out there uh he'll be on offense I'll be on defense and we like to talk a little bit just a little friendly Trash Talk uh but he really rallies the whole troops everyone together uh during workouts he's very vocal and during our team runs he's like nope like if anyone's off their game like he kind of snaps in but not in a bad way as a way of just being that great leader to hold everyone Jonah Coleman accountable and what's great for any quarterback is a running back that could turn around and just ask him to carry a heavy workload and Jonah Coleman comes over of course with Coach fish right away from Arizona so a proven you know commodity at the running back position what about him and his fit in this offense yeah I feel like he's going to fit well um but even elaborating on that our whole entire running back room like they could go for the top running back room in the country uh from from top to bottom Jonah Coleman uh I mean we have cd back from injury Cam Davis we have a young guy Adam Muhammad Sam like the list goes on and on and they've really developed themselves really well during spring during offseason training and now coming into the season with Jonah CD and those kind of older guys and then with the younger guys following like I feel like it's a good one-two punch with then we can throw on anyone feel confident so for those that don't know your dad being a scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers when he has to write the scattering report on you are you going to be allowed to read it like how's that going to work so i' I've talked to him a little bit about that cuz I'm like there's no way they're going to let him Scout me cuz I'm like you're too nice of a guy like you like me too like all that it's a tough job you got to be honest yeah but one thing I did tell him uh especially now going into my last year having uh Pro desires I told him I'm like you you can't lie to me you can't sugarcoat anything I want everything straight I'm like I don't want to be told oh you can be a day two guy when maybe I'm a day three or be a day two guy and he's like ah you gotta keep working hard whatever like I want him to push me but at the same time I want the honest truth from him and that is something that he completely agreed with and he's been able to De uh deliver to me obviously he was a special player Paying tribute to his dad in his own right how special was it to you to wear his Rose bow Jersey when you walked into that Stadium at the end of last year just to kind of pay tribute to what he did for your Football Life absolutely I mean it it meant a lot um we kind of talked about it the weeks following or the weeks prior uh leading up to the game and uh I had him bring it down it was actually in a frame he took it out of the frame traveled with it gave it to me the day before the game and kind of being able to put that on and then really walk in to the Houston uh Texas stadium and wearing that on the walk like it it just it still gives me goosebumps to this day kind of paying tribute to my dad the accomplishments he had but as well as really all the former huskies and that especially that 91 team I mean they did great things and uh last year was something where we looked up to that team a lot and try to see and I asked my dad a lot like what are the tencies like how was that team like trying to find any bits and pieces because obviously their success like it didn't go unnoticed uh so we Tred to match that in a way but in our own style Special teams so away from just being a linebacker you have quite the reputation on special teams as well eight tackles last year on specials eight tackles the year before on specials what do you love about that side of the game yeah it gives it's almost just a different twist between like defense and offense High School I really didn't play special teams other than puning um I mean I kicked once or twice but really that I I was pretty good at kicking yeah um started at a young age so maybe emergency punter Washington I don't know but I'm I feel like I'm better field goal kicking than P maybe an extra point if need I'll let gry Gro stick to that he's he's money but it's just different like what I was saying earlier it was just different I mean being able to be on kickoff just have that freedom to just run full speed hit people make plays be on punt be able to block kind of like my dad did growing up and be able to watch out I mean I led playing tight end growing up as well and being on the offens of side so it just kind of gives that different Taste of football other than defense what has the Washingtons standard message been from coach fish since he got there cuz it's it's such a unique spot for you right you were a big part of a team that went to the national title and while there's all this change there's still a culture instilled of winning at Washington so he needs to kind of keep carrying that torch what has the message been from him to do that yeah it's really just it's not a rebuild I mean obviously we have a lot of new players coming in but the culture is the culture and the standard is the standard I mean we went to the national championship last year we have dreams and aspirations to do that again this year uh it really doesn't change anything like you mentioned earlier we had a lot of players go on to the league and we wish them the best in the league because obviously their accomplishments were shown uh we had some people transfer out and uh to each their own like they each had their own decision they decided to do it and I wish them the best uh but really we got who we got and that's who we're going to roll with um and once one thing we always say is everyone's counting us out social media a bunch of people are kind of looking down upon Washington saying you lost everyone you guys won't be good we don't care we're going to come into to the season we're just working we're working out this offseason we're training harder than we've ever trained um and we're going to come out fall Camp next week that's when we started up and really just kind of get after and get ready for our first game on the 31st so you made the playoff when it was just four teams Playoff expansion it was as hard as it could be now that door opens as it expands it's going to be a little chaotic a little bit of fun but is there also some excitement that brings with a bigger college football playoff on the horizon absolutely I feel like it gives a lot more teams opportunities to reach that goal of national championship every team comes in every single year hey we want to win our conference but we also one with the national championship I felt like with four teams it's kind of hard to really get the best fit in there uh because there could be a team that maybe only has one loss that can get left out when it's you know it's all Up For Debate but I feel like having 12 teams it's going to give all those teams an opportunity to go out there and basically prove their worth so the story is far from Best part of playing at Washington over but when your career at Washington ends and you go on to the NFL and lifelong fan of this program obviously threw so much at this program what will you look back at you know the best part of play for this University I feel like running out of that tunnel in front of 70,000 screaming fans will be something I'll never forget um the atmosphere having it be the greatest cing being on Mont Lake on the lake like all of that it's something where a lot of people don't truly understand unless they get to come here and play here and run out of the tunnel I mean I was a fan I got the fan point of view and then now I'm a player and I get the player point of view and it gives I'm I'm going on my fifth year and every single time I run that tunnel it's Goosebumps I'm nervous it's just seeing those fans and I feel like we got the best fan base in the country hands down thanks Carson yeah thank you