Kicking Specialists Return to UCLA for 2026 Season

The Bruins continue to round out their roster for the 2026 season.

Mateen Bhaghani, K of UCLA Bruins kicks the extra point during their BIG 10 football game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday November 8, 2025 at the Rose Bowl stadium in Pasadena, California. | IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

All the recent news has been about how hot UCLA is when it comes to the transfer portal. When the season came to an end for the Bruins, over 20 of the current oster hit the portal. Bob Chesney and his staff came in and countered that with 38 incoming, and it's still counting.

A few of those outgoings have made a U-turn, and that goes for their kicker, Mateen Bhaghani. The senior hit the transfer portal early in the offseason but has changed his mind and is heading back to Pasadena for the 2026 season.

It was Bhagani's second year with the Bruins after transferring from Cal. During the 2025 season, he made 100% of his extra point attempts, securing all 22. He was pretty solid when it came to field goals, with an 80% success rate, hitting 16 of 20 attempts. His longest of the season was a 54-yarder, and he also had another 50+-yarder, although he hit one from 57 yards in 2024 in his first season at UCLA.

UCLA vs. Hawaii AUG 31 August 31, 2024: UCLA Bruins place kicker Mateen Bhaghani 94 kicks a game tying field goal during the NCAA football game between the UCLA Bruins and the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at Clarence T.C. Ching Complex in Honolulu, Hawaii. | IMAGO / Newscom World

Getting him back is a huge bit of work from Chesney and the staff. Bhagani has been consistent in his three seasons in college, never missing an extra point. He has always been over 80% from the field, with 2025 being his lowest in college.

Early in the season, Bhagani showcased his clutch gene, nailing a walk-off winning field goal against Maryland in the Rose Bowl. It was just a chip shot, but it still showed he had the composure to finish the job the offense had given him. In his first game with UCLA, he had a game-winning field goal in the final minute against Hawaii.

UCLA Add Former Punter to Roster

UCLA Bruins punter Chase Barry (45) enters the field during an NCAA football game against the Washington Huskies, Friday, Sep. 30, 2022, in Pasadena, Calif. | IMAGO / Newscom World

Bhagani was not the only special teams player to come back to UCLA. The team added Chase Barry, the team's former punter. The 2022 recruit spent four seasons with the Bruins before entering the transfer portal this past season. He transferred to Oklahoma State, where he saw limited game time.

Barry is now back with the team and looks set to compete with another transfer for punting duty in 2026. Former San Houston punter Curtis Gerrand came in, and the Australian comes with solid stats.

The two signings won't be what many talk about this off-season, but they feel equally important, given the consistency they bring to the team.

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