MIKE CHIEN Ryan Boschetti took a rather
unconventional route to UCLA.
By Hannah Gordon
Daily Bruin Reporter
Wake up. Eat. Lift. Film. Practice. Back to film. Eat. Go to
sleep. And fit school in somewhere.
Junior defensive lineman Ryan Boschetti spent the last three
years working hard to work this hard. All he wanted to do was live
football. Unlike most of his teammates, who arrived in Westwood out
of high school, however, Boschetti took a more circuitous
route.
UCLA takes very few junior college transfers, but this year the
Bruins found themselves with a couple mid-year scholarships and a
need for defensive linemen and linebackers. Enter Boschetti.
In 1998, his senior season at Carlmont high school in Belmont,
he played for an 0-10 team. He wasn’t recruited by college
programs and was involved in other activities. So he decided to
take a year off and become a personal trainer.
“I always knew I was going to come back to the game. But
that was one of the longest years of my life, to tell you the
truth,” Boschetti said.
After that interminable year away from football, Boschetti went
to San Mateo College, next to his Bay Area hometown of Belmont.
“My coach told me that if I came out, I would have the
opportunity to play at the next level and this (UCLA) is what I
believed was the ultimate next level,” Boschetti said.
He became the No. 1 junior college defensive tackle prospect,
racking up 21 sacks in two seasons. Though he got offers of
starting positions at small schools, he chose UCLA knowing he would
come in second on the depth chart.
“I wanted to play with the best and I felt like that was
here,” he said.
But the change from standing out in a suburban junior college
program to being just another number in a huge university and a
big-time football program can be daunting.
“It’s really tough because coaches only have a
little time with you. They can really mold high school
players,” said junior defensive end David Tautofi, who
transferred last year from Fresno City College. “Everyone
looked at me as a freshman, but I was old and I’d been
through all that before.”
Many transfers struggle their first year and only blossom in
their final year of eligibility. But Boschetti seems to be
adjusting quickly.
“For a JC guy he’s doing a good job,”
defensive coordinator Phil Snow said. “Usually when they come
in they struggle the first year and play good the second year. But
most of the guys that adjusted real well (have) played real well
too.
“I’m hoping that’s the case for
Ryan.”
The gregarious Boschetti chooses to see his different situation
as an advantage. He has more experience playing than many juniors
because at competitive programs like UCLA, many players do not see
significant playing time their first two years.
“I felt very privileged to get an opportunity with only
two years left of eligibility to play for UCLA,” Boschetti
said. “But they don’t look at me as a rookie. I’m
a guy who’s established himself, although at a lower
level.”