DAVE HILL/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Ryan
Nece (left) and Marcus Reese may come
from opposite sides of the state, but they’re on the same
page on the field. They hope to help the Bruins overcome last
season’s defensive inconsistencies.
By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Reporter
You might confuse linebackers Ryan Nece and Marcus Reese because
of their rhyming names, but spend any time with them on or off the
field and you will never make that mistake again.
Nece a senior, should be a four-year starter. But coming off
double shoulder surgery in the offseason, Nece will have to compete
with Reese, a junior, for his starting position at weakside
linebacker.
Doctors and trainers agree that Nece has recovered, but he will
still have to prove himself. New Bruin defensive coordinator Phil
Snow would like to utilize both men’s talents with Nece
inside and Reese outside.
Nece seems confident he will not snap his 21-game starting
streak.
“My expectations are extremely high, number one because it
is my senior season, and number two because I am in the best
condition I have ever been in,” he said.
 DAVE HILL/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Linebackers
Nece and Reese hope their
improved play will allow the defensive squad to step out of the
offense’s shadow.
Both are more than capable linebackers, but they bring far
different attributes to the team.
Reese is a faster and more aggressive defender who is versatile
in his ability to play both inside and outside positions. He was an
outside linebacker in high school, but when he came to UCLA the
coaches moved him inside because he weighed 210 pounds. Reese has
since beefed up to 227 and can now play either position.
“I wanted to play outside at UCLA but I fell in love with
inside because you are able to make plays,” said Reese, who
last season led the Bruins with four sacks.
Making plays is something Nece loves as well, having made 78
tackles despite playing injured last season. Nece’s style is
different, however. He is very knowledgeable about football and
uses that to make smart plays by reading the offense. Although Nece
was unable to participate in spring practice due to the shoulder
surgery, he spent a great deal of time in Snow’s office
getting to know the new defensive coordinator and his plays.
“Ryan is a student of the game ““ the quarterback of
the defense,” Bruin senior fullback Ed Ieremia-Stansbury
said. “He’s a team leader always, on or off the
field.”
Off the field, Nece and Reese are even more distinct.
“Our personalities are different but we get along,”
Reese said “Ryan’s more talkative and good with
everybody. I’m more quiet.”
While Reese can come off stoic and reserved, teammates claim
that once among friends he is anything but.
“He’s just wild. He’s Bay Area at it’s
best,” UCLA senior wide receiver Brian Poli-Dixon said.
“He knows everything about the Bay. Say something bad about
the Bay and he’s on you,”
Reese, who is from San Jose, is indeed representative of the
best of the Bay, not for what Ieremia-Stansbury calls his
“thuggish ruggish” style, but because he is
unapologetically himself.
Nece, a San Bernadino native, is similarly comfortable with
himself ““ with a distinctly Southern California nature.
“Ryan is outgoing and confident, fun to be around,”
Snow said.
His teammates affectionately nicknamed Nece “Pretty
Boy” for his matching clothes and smooth manners. Nece exudes
a strikingly paradoxical mix of humility and confidence,
reminiscent of his famous father, National Football League Hall of
Fame safety Ronnie Lott.
“Ryan is a disciplined individual with morals ““ a
man of integrity,” Bruin senior tight end Bryan Fletcher
said.
While Nece and Reese are as different as the Bay Area and
Southern California, they both earn the respect of their teammates
through their athletic talent.
“I know we can both get the job done,” Nece
said.
Each will just do it his own way.