University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Carson Schwesinger Named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
February 05, 2026 | Football
SAN FRANCISCO – Former UCLA football standout and current Cleveland Browns star linebacker Carson Schwesinger was named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday night at the Palace of Fine Arts as part of the 2026 NFL Honors.
Schwesinger becomes the first Bruin alum ever to be named Offensive or Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press. He joins an esteemed list of UCLA alums to earn major NFL honors that includes Troy Aikman (1993 Super Bowl MVP), Kenny Easley (1984 NFL Defensive Player of the Year), and Bob Waterfield (1945 NFL MVP).
While the AP Rookie of the Year is the honor officially recognized by the NFL, Schwesinger earlier this winter was also named the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
Schwesinger is just the second player in Cleveland franchise history to earn Defensive Rookie of the Year honors (Chip Banks, 1982).
A native of Moorpark, Calif., Schwesinger immediately became the lynchpin in the Browns offense as a first-year player in 2025, donning the green dot and ending the campaign with a team-high 146 tackles. He added 2.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss (TFL), nine quarterback hits, two interceptions, and three pass break-ups.
Schwesinger led all NFL rookies in tackling and TFLs, and ranked among the league leaders until sitting out Cleveland's season finale with an injury. His 146 stops were the most by a Browns' rookie since 1999. He posted double-digit tackles in nine contests, including a seven-game streak from Nov. 9 to Dec. 21.
Schwesinger was a four-year letterwinner at UCLA from 2021-24, breaking out to the tune of First Team All-America and Butkus Award finalist honors as a redshirt junior in 2024. That season, Schwesinger led the nation with 90 solo tackles and paced the Big Ten with 136 in total tackles. The Oaks Christian HS graduate posted nine double-digit tackle performances during the 2024 campaign, including a six-game streak that saw him record a single-game career-high 17 stops against Washington on Nov. 15. UCLA's leading tackler in 10 of 12 games, Schwesinger was also a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Award, which annually honors the top player in college football who began his career as a walk-on. He was selected with the first pick of the second round, No. 33 overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft.
