#42

Carson Bruener

Former linebacker at Washington. 2024: 104 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.

LB · Washington · Sr. · #42

6′2″ · 226 lb · Woodinville, WA

CFB Index 82 · #47 of 571 LBsHigh confidenceAll-ConferencePittsburgh — drafted 2025, Rd 7, Pick 10, #226 overall

Recruiting

3★

ILB recruit

No. 995 nationally · Signed with Redmond

Statement game12 tacklesvs USC (FBS) · W 26-21

Top 1% tackles game since 2021.

HOLY SHIT BRUENER COOKED HIM HARDER THAN LINCOLN RILEY COOKS HIS BRISKETr/CFB game thread · ▲ 5His career numbers, season by season

The story

Former linebacker at Washington. 2024: 104 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.

Signed as a 3-star recruit to Redmond in 2020.
Drafted round 7 by the Pittsburgh in 2025.

His career, year by year

How it ended

Four seasons at Washington, 295 tackles — drafted at #226 overall by Pittsburgh.

His career

Nobody recruited him. He earned the honors anyway.

2020

Recruited3-star out of Redmond

202413 games

All-Big Tenthird

2025

Drafted by Pittsburghround 7, pick 226

Career arc

Recruit

★★★

#995 national

CFB

College

Washington

2021–2024

NFL

NFL Draft

R7 · #226

Pittsburgh · 2025

Trophy case · Confirmed honors

What the selectors said

2 honors · 1 category

🎖

ALL-BIG TEN

All-Big Ten mention (2024)

Coaching lineage · 2021–2024

3 coaches

2021

Jimmy Lake

Washington

2022–2023

Kalen DeBoer

Washington

era →

2024

Jedd Fisch

Washington

era →

Played under 3 different head coaches: Jimmy Lake, Kalen DeBoer, and Jedd Fisch. Multi-era developmental context.

Where He Ended Up · NFL

PittsburghEntering 2nd NFL season

#226Rd 7 · Pick 10

PittsburghEntering 2nd NFL season

View college career stats ↓

2024 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2021Washington4-8HC: Jimmy Lake · Balanced

2022Washington11-2HC: Kalen DeBoer · Pass-leaning

2023Washington14-1HC: Kalen DeBoer · Pass-leaning

2024Washington6-7HC: Jedd Fisch · Balanced

Where this defender ranks vs the field

Box-score production percentiles vs the position cohort

82All-Conference level #47 of 571?

High confidence7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: solo tackles (99th percentile). Strength: tackles (99th percentile). Concern: sacks (25th percentile).

Box-score production (7)

Solo tackles#17 / 2892 · 99th pct

Tackles#35 / 2892 · 99th pct

104

Passes defended#225 / 2892 · 90th pct

Interceptions#52 / 862 · 89th pct

QB hurries#397 / 2892 · 83rd pct

Tackles for loss#1412 / 2892 · 47th pct

2.0

Sacks#1455 / 2892 · 25th pct

0.0

Percentiles are versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score production. There are no play-by-play efficiency bars here: CFBD's play-value model credits offensive players only, so no defensive EPA exists to rank.

Splits & context

Splits · Per-game

2024 season · 13 games

Home/Road · Season halves

Home vs Road

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Home8g	7.2	0.2	0.0	0.4
Road5g	9.2	0.0	0.0	0.4

First half vs Second half

	TKL/g	TFL/g	SACK/g	PD/g
Weeks 1-78g	6.9	0.2	0.0	0.4
Weeks 8+5g	9.8	0.0	0.0	0.4

Supporting cast · Scheme

Staff and system around the player

2026 season

Head Coach

Jedd Fisch

Scheme reads (pass share, tempo, sack rate) need at least 3 team games — 2 games in so far.

Awards

Player standing · 2024

All-Conference

Picked for an all-conference team by at least one selector.

Recognition

Roster2-deepStarterRecognizedEliteApex

Production · CFB Index Score

82 · #47 of 571 LBs

Three-star recruit. Now #47 at the position.

Career stats

Season	Team
2024	Washington	104	60	2.0	0.0	5	3	--
2023	Washington	80	40	1.5	0.0	3	1	--
2022	Washington	42	27	3.5	0.0	1	--	--
2021	Washington	69	48	2.0	1.0	--	1	--
Career		295	175	9.0	1.0	9	5	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 10 · 2024

W 26–21

vs USC

12 TOT · 7 SOLO · 2 PD

A wire-to-wire battle — won by 5 at home.

With W. Rogers — 262 yds · 0 TD · 0 INT · QBR 64.7 · J. McCallister — 37 AVG · 1 IN 20 · 48 LONG

Game log

Game log · Week-by-week

2024 season · 13 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	TKL	SOLO	TFL	INT	PD	Note
Wk 1	W 35-3vs Weber State	5	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 2	W 30-9vs Eastern Michigan	6	4	1.0	—	0
Wk 3	L 19-24vs Washington State	4	4	1.0	—	1
Wk 4	W 24-5vs Northwestern	6	2	0.0	1	0
Wk 5	L 18-21@ Rutgers	9	4	0.0	—	2
Wk 6	W 27-17vs Michigan	6	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 7	L 16-40@ Iowa	8	3	0.0	—	0
Wk 9	L 17-31@ Indiana	11	5	0.0	—	0
Wk 10	W 26-21vs USC	12	7	0.0	2	2	Season-high 12 tackles
Wk 11	L 6-35@ Penn State	11	4	0.0	—	0
Wk 12	W 31-19vs UCLA	8	6	0.0	—	0
Wk 14	L 21-49@ Oregon	7	4	0.0	—	0
Bowl	L 34-35vs Louisville	11	9	0.0	—	0
Total		104	60	2.0	3	5

Stats from CFBD · ESPN · fan discourse. Every figure computed from source tables — not invented. Methodology

Carson Bruener

2020

202413 games

2025

2024 snapshot

Splits & context

Awards

All-Conference

Career stats

Signature game

Game log

How he plays

DNA match

Coverage 'Backer

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