How a UCLA Alum Guided Hudson Habermehl Back From Injury

Few have been on the journey that UCLA tight end Hudson Habermehl has been on. After suffering a brutal ACL and meniscus tear last spring, which kept him out of the entire 2024 season, he's making his return to the field and was mentored by a Bruins alumni along the way.

"When I got hurt, it was one of the most painful things," Habermehl said, reflecting on his journey back during Saturday's media availability. "But, right when I was on the ground, I immediately thought, 'Am I going to be able to play?' That day, got the MRI, the results -- ACL tear, meniscus tear -- and I go on my phone, start googling what's the rehab process, how long does it take?

"To be honest, through that battle, I've had a lot of things pop up that I never would have imagined. And I was talking to UCLA alum, Josh Woods, he's been through a lot of knee injuries. He was a really big mentor of mine during this process. And he said, 'You're going to learn a lot about yourself.' ... And I really learned how much I love this game when it's taken away from me."

Dec 26, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; UCLA Bruins linebacker Josh Woods (2) against the Kansas State Wildcats in the 2017 Cactus Bowl at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Woods, a linebacker who played in Westwood from 2015-2019, missed two seasons during his career due to injury. In his final season, he was a starter in all 12 games and led the team with 4.5 sacks. He finished the season with 51 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two fumble recoveries and an interception.

Habermehl, Tight Ends Revived in New Offense

Following the departure of Miliki Matavao, the tight end position left much to be desired ahead of the season. Hudson Habermehl is coming off an ACL injury that kept him out all of last season, Jack Pedersen backed up Matavao and will be stepping into a bigger role, and Jake Renda transferred in from Pitt and projects to be good enough to start.

During Wednesday's media availability, Foster lauded the group for its improvement through two weeks in Costa Mesa.

"I would say, probably the tight ends," he said when asked which group has grown the most. "Just having Huddy back and Renda and some guys that are new that weren't here in spring. Jack's doing a great job and my true freshmen are playing well, too.

Dec 16, 2023; Inglewood, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Hudson Habermehl (81) reacts after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter against the Boise State Broncos during the LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

From losing and acquiring players in the transfer portal, revamping the staff by hiring Tino Sunseri and letting Eric Bieniemy walk, to installing a brand new scheme, Foster is excited about what's to come.

One of the position groups the second-year head coach is certain will be impacted positively by all these changes is the tight ends. Foster credits Sunseri's new "everything" offense as one of the reasons the position group is going to flourish.

"I think Moliki had a really good year last season," Foster said. "I just think that we're going to use the tight end any way that we can. But we're just excited about this being a full offense and not just a one-dimensional thing, you know? Just being a full offense that can run the ball and stretch the field."

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Habermehl, Tight Ends Revived in New Offense

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