UCLA linebacker Mique Juarez said Tuesday he hoped to return to practice as soon as next week after a nearly six-week absence caused by the mental strain of being a highly acclaimed freshman and another personal matter he declined to discuss.
“Being the top [high school] linebacker in the nation, I didn’t know how to cope with it,” Juarez said in a telephone interview. “Trying to make everyone happy but not myself, there was too much pressure. It was too much for me.
“It was me as a person just mentally not there.”
Juarez, a 6-foot-2, 250-pounder, said Bruins Coach Jim Mora had arranged for a psychiatrist to help the former North Torrance High standout deal with his issues.