UCLA Football Top 30 Players: No. 18 Brings Underrated Value

One of the most under-appreciated positions in football is the kicker.

Having a good kicker on your football team can be the difference between winning and losing a big game. One of the most memorable moments in college football history occurred during the 2022 College Football Playoff between Ohio State and Georgia.

Ohio State’s CJ Stroud led the Buckeyes from their own 25-yard line to the Bulldogs ' 32-yard line in 50 seconds. The Buckeyes kicker was a perfect 2/2 for field goals and 5/5 for extra points, and in the final seconds, he would miss a 50-yard field goal wide left. With the win, the Bulldogs would advance to the championship game and beat TCU.

Knowing how important a kicker is for a football team, Bob Chesney already has one of the top kickers in college football on the Bruins roster in Mateen Bhaghani. Bhaghani is now the next player on our list of the top 30 players on the Bruins roster at number 18.

Mateen Bhaghani in High School

Coming out of Del Norte High School in San Diego, California, kickers aren't highly ranked on major recruiting sites like 247Sports or Rivals. However, on the Chris Sailer Kicking website, Bhaghani was ranked sixth-best in the country.

Throughout his career with the Knighthawks, he was a very accomplished kicker in the state of California. Bhaghani would be a two-time Special Teams Player of the Year in the Avocado League as a 2022 senior and the Palomar League during his 2021 junior campaign.

Bhaghani began to gain national recognition as a kicker during his junior year of high school.

As a junior, he scored 64 points during the 2021 season, making all seven of his field goals and going an impressive 50-of-51 from the extra-point line. Bhaghani also handled the majority of the team's kickoffs, as he had 40 touchbacks, as well as being the primary punter, averaging 30.8 yards, with 27 inside the opponent's 20-yard line for a squad that reached the semifinals of the San Diego Section Division IV playoffs.

Bhaghani totaled 66 points in his senior campaign by making 8-of-11 field goals, including a school-record 53-yarder. He also served as his squad's primary kickoff specialist and had 54 touchbacks for a team that reached the semifinals of the San Diego Section Division III playoffs.

Even being ranked as the sixth-best kicker in the country, the offers weren't lining up from major Division I teams. While he was getting offers from FCS schools, he decided to enroll at Cal as a preferred walk-on.

Bhaghani at Cal

Bhaghani would play only one season with the Golden Bears, and even as a walk-on, he was named the starting place kicker.

As the starting kicker for the Golden Bears as a true freshman, Bhaghani would have an excellent season. He would see action in 10 games, making 8-of-9 field goal attempts while going 29-of-29 on extra points. Bhaghani would also kick off 13 times and average 51.5 yards with just one touchback.

Bhaghani would score his first points against Washington as he made his first field goal against Arizona State with a 37-yard field goal. The best game of his freshman season was easily against UCLA. Against the Bruins, he connected on all four field goal attempts at UCLA with 36, 32, and 20-yard kicks as well as a 43-yard kick.

After his freshman season, Bhaghani would decide to enter the transfer portal. UCLA would see how well he performed against them and wanted his leg, so he would stay in California and play for the Bruins.

Bhaghani With the Bruins

Bhaghani has spent the past two seasons of his career with UCLA and has been reliable throughout.

In his sophomore season, he appeared in all 12 games and started 11. Bhaghani would finish the season going 20-24 on field goal attempts, with his longest being a 57-yard kick against Iowa to essentially win the game for the Bruins.

Bhaghani would have multiple accolades in the Big Ten. That 57-yard kick against the Hawkeyes was also the longest kick of any Big Ten kicker, and his 20 field goals made were tied for first out of all Big Ten kickers. Bhaghani would also be one of six kickers in all of college football to not miss an extra point attempt with 11 or more attempts in the season.

He would also be named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after going a perfect 3-for-3 on field goal attempts, including a 32-yard game-winner in the final minute, in the Bruins' season-opening victory at Hawai'i.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins coach Bob Chesney reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bhaghani would be named Special Teams Player of the Week in the Bruins' game against Maryland. He would hit two field goals, including the 23-yard game-winning field goal with two seconds remaining in the game.

Overall, the Bruins' season last year was disappointing. DeShaun Foster would be let go as head coach just three games into the year, and they would finish with a 3-9 record in the regular season.

How Bhaghani Can Be Effective Next Season

UCLA has undergone major changes, whether to the roster or the coaching staff. Bob Chensey is the new head coach for the Bruins and brought in 45 players through the transfer portal.

UCLA is projected to be a much better team than last year's. However, the Big Ten is a very tough conference, and to win games, you need to take as many points as you can. Having a player as good as Bhaghani as the place kicker will help keep the Bruins in the game. When the Bruins are in a close game, it might come down to a field goal, and I would want no one else but Bhaghani to make it. Kicking is an important part of the game, and UCLA is set at that position.

May 2, 2026; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava (9) reacts during the spring game at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With quarterback Nico Iamaleava expected to make a resurgence in 2026, the Bruins should have a much more high-powered offense than what they presented a season ago. Bhaghani will be at the center of that.

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