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Zone Read: Bruno Fina Unplugged

Arizona Sports News online

Former Tucson Salpointe Catholic High standout offensive lineman Bruno Fina has graduated from UCLA and is continuing his academic and football career at Duke.

“Zone Read” caught up with the Bruins’ two-year starter at left tackle to discuss a myriad of topics both on, and off the field – as Fina transitions from the west coast to the east coast. 

You entered the portal last spring. What went into that decision to leave UCLA? “I can’t say enough how thankful I am, and how much I loved UCLA, especially because of the people there. I’ll have friends I made there for life. But, to me, football has always been more than just football and I was really struggling seeing myself spending two more years at UCLA…especially when I have the opportunity to leave Duke with an MBA. It’s a Top 15 business school in the country. I do believe leaving with an MBA would be absolutely life-changing for my career.”

So, was the decision to transfer to Duke, like, a 75% academic decision, and 25% football decision? “I wouldn’t say that. Obviously, if I’m going to go somewhere to play football, I want to go somewhere where I believe in the coaching staff and I believe in the trajectory of the team. The way Duke played last year [they finished 8-5 in 2023], and the guys they have on campus right now, and the tightness that they have and the talent that they have, I really believe this place can do something really special this year…they’re running a tempo system which is the same system I ran for four years at UCLA, so I’m very familiar and definitely prepared to come in and step into the role that they see me filling [starting at left tackle]. I definitely believe in the football [program] here. It was definitely a combination of both of those things.”

Did you give UofA any thought when you were in the portal? Did you consider coming home to Tucson to finish college? “So, I talked to [Offensive Line] Coach [Josh] Oglesby and we had a couple of phone calls which were really great. I think he’s a great coach. I really liked the way he spoke and what his coaching philosophies were…but, when a big part of my decision was, ‘Can I go to a place that has [business] connections and I can make these in-roads in places that are going to help me for the rest of my life?’ In my eyes, Arizona just couldn’t really match up with Duke. The way that the world is right now, and the in-roads and connections that Duke offers, I saw this as an opportunity to really catapult myself forward.”

Were you nervous at all going into the portal because of how many players were/are in there from this spring? “I think I had a pretty good idea that there were [schools] that were going to reach out to me and I was never afraid I was going to be left somewhere without a home.” 

Prettier campus: Westwood or Durham? “Ohhhh, that’s gonna be…it’s tough to say right now, but I will say Duke has more space. Westwood is a little condensed. UCLA has the weather, but Durham has those wide open spaces. You have those little breaks of forest and trees.”

Compare 2020 Bruno Fina to present day Bruno Fina from a personal growth standpoint. “Well, I can tell you the experience on-boarding [at Duke] is going to be totally different. The way things were set up socially during COVID, obviously, this will be for the better. As a person, I attribute a lot of my growth to the struggles of these last four years. I think, coming in underweight [at UCLA]. I was like 240 [pounds] coming into college. I knew I had a long road ahead of me.

“Coming in not knowing anybody and having to get to know a whole new group of friends, has taught me a lot about how I jive with people and what kind of role I fill. Now, I’m trying to fill a role less. I’m just trying to be [who I am]. Not trying to tell yourself stories about the person you want to be because the person you are, is the person you need to be. It translates to football. It translates to school. It translates to life. Just try to be in the present moment as much as you can. I think that really only comes with time, and that has been a huge thing for me.”

Your younger brother, Roman, has committed to Duke, as well. Who did they recruit first and how did that all play out over the last several months? “So, they were recruiting him first…and they figured out who I was. This was before spring ball at UCLA. I wasn’t even thinking of transferring. It wasn’t on my radar at all, and then, as Roman spent more time at Duke, my parents who come out for visits.

“My dad would ask questions and my mom would ask questions. They knew that I was sort struggling knowing there wasn’t really anything for me at UCLA post-graduate-wise, and they heard about these programs and they seemed too good to be true. I wanted to wait to enter the transfer portal until after I graduated…they came out and they gave me the pitch. It turned out they really needed a left tackle. So, I’m a guy with experience, and I’m happy to fill that role.”

You have two years of eligibility left. Do you hope, in the next year or two, to give the NFL a shot? “Absolutely. 100 percent. I feel like I have a chance. I absolutely feel like I have a chance to play in the NFL. But, the way I’ve always looked at it is that, nothing is guaranteed in the NFL. But what is guaranteed is, I’m going to get a great degree and I’m going to get opportunities as a postgraduate. So, I’m going to push myself in the direction of the NFL and I’m going to push myself in the professional direction at the same time.”

Why do you feel offensive linemen are often considered the smartest players on the field? “It think you have to be. It’s a complicated position. You have to see everything going on on the field at the same time because what the corner is doing and where the safety is is going to dictate what the defensive end does, and you have to see those things and get a feel for that. You have to watch a lot of tape and study personnel. You have to put a lot of time in and familiarize yourself which each opponent each week. Every [other player’s] success depends on it, and there’s just no room for error. You have to be smart enough to make the right decisions.”

What do you feel is hurting college football most: conference realignment, the transfer portal, or some of these ridiculous NIL deals schools are seemingly giving out like candy? “If I had to pick one, I’d say some of these NIL deals are hurting college football the most. They’re hurting college football the most. 

“I don’t think they’re hurting college players the most, and I think those things are exacerbating the other things because the more these ridiculous NIL deals happen, the more the transfer portal gets used and there’s just chaos everywhere.” 

If you could change one thing about the current state of college football today, what would it be? “Everybody wants to fix college football right now but nobody has a good answer…one thing I would change…I think it’s going to be sad to see is I’m going to miss the battle for the west coast in the Pac-12, especially this last year when it was so hotly contested. There were so many great teams, so many highly ranked teams. With all the issues in the Pac-12, nothing was worse for the players than ‘Pac-12 After Dark.’ It sucked [laughing]. But it’s going to be sad not seeing that kind of competition over there now that it’s spread out all over the country [with realignment].”  

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