3 Under-the-Radar Receivers UCLA Fans Must Follow

UCLA’s wide receiver room was a big question mark for Bob Chesney and his staff.

This offseason, we have seen Chesney completely rebuild the Bruins' roster, with 45 players coming to UCLA through the transfer portal. Add in 20 players from the 2026 high school class, and UCLA will have 65 new players on next season's roster.

One of the key rooms that needed a shakeup was the wide receiver room. The Bruins' top receiver from last year's team, Kwazi Gilmer, had a team-high 535 yards and four touchdowns; however, he left for the transfer portal and is now at Nebraska.

With losing the top receiver to the portal and many others to graduation or the portal, Chesney went into the portal himself and picked up plenty of receiving options.

I put out a story about how the Bruins have two No. 1 receivers on the roster: Leland Smith and Landon Ellis. However, they can be the only options for quarterback Nico Iamaleava to throw the ball to, and that is what I am going to talk about today. There are three receivers who can contribute to the receiver room and help Ellis and Smith.

Mikey Matthews

Matthews is the only wide receiver from the 2025 Bruins season to return for the 2026 campaign, as everyone else either entered the transfer portal or graduated. Matthews had a decent junior season, as he finished last year with 33 receptions for 248 yards and two touchdowns.

Heading into next season, Matthews will most likely be the slot receiver, which is what he was last season, and the third wide receiver on the depth chart. Matthews is very quick and is more of a route runner than a speedster and should be used as a quick target for quarterback Iamaleava if he can't find his first two options.

Kenneth Moore

Kenneth Moore is the top-ranked incoming freshman in the Bruins 2026 high school class, as he is the 437th-ranked player in the country and the 60th-ranked wide receiver in the class per 247Sports.

As an incoming freshman, Moore might not have the same workload as Smith or Matthews. However, he is a very talented player who uses his blazing speed to be a serious threat on the outside and in the slot, as he is no stranger to being physical.

Brian Rowe Jr.

Rowe Jr. is the only player on the list to come to UCLA via the transfer portal, as he just finished his freshman season at South Carolina. With the Gamecocks, he had a decent year with 19 receptions for 149 yards and a touchdown.

Rowe is another player who is very fast and was used in the slot during his time at South Carolina. Rowe also has good ball skills, often making very good catches on throws outside his window. He'll be a true sophomore, so he probably has quite a bit of development ahead of him.

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