Ex-UCLA linebacker Breland Brandt -- a former five-star recruit and Army All-American -- was arrested earlier this week after cops say he pushed his GF during a heated altercation.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports Brandt -- who was a top recruit for Jim Mora's Bruins in 2016 -- got into a verbal argument with his girlfriend at Palisades Park in Santa Monica, CA, on Aug. 22 when things turned physical.
We're told witnesses saw Brandt get aggressive with his GF ... and after he grabbed her and pushed her, several people had to jump in to break it up.
Sources say cops were called to the scene ... and they arrested 21-year-old Brandt for misdemeanor domestic violence.
6'4", 210-pound Brandt was held on $20,000 bond at the Santa Monica Police Department.
Brandt was one of the best high school football players in the country before he joined UCLA -- he was an Army All-American and a consensus top-250 recruit.
But, the linebacker battled concussion problems almost immediately at UCLA ... and after playing in just two games in 2017 -- he medically retired.
Brandt is the second ex-Bruin to be arrested this summer ... former running back Craig Lee was busted for attempted murder stemming from an altercation at a weed dispensary in 2016.