Tight Ends: An Underrated Strength for the Bruins in 2025?

The UCLA Bruins may need to lean on the tight ends in 2025.

Nov 18, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins tight end Hudson Habermehl (81) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the USC Trojans at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images / Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images

As the UCLA offense transitions to Year 2 under DeShaun Foster and new offensive coordinator Tino Sunseri, the tight end group emerges as a potential cornerstone piece to build around for 2025.

Leading this tight end room is veteran Hudson Habermehl, who missed all of the 2024 season with a torn ACL. He is a 6-foot-7, 250-pound player who has a huge catch radius and the ability to make an incredible impact in the red zone. During his first two seasons with the Bruins, he only caught 24, but five of them were for touchdowns.

UCLA's tight ends coach, Jerry Neuheisel, gave insight to Habermehl's return.

"He'll be ready to go for fall camp, and I know he's fired up for it," Neuheisel said.

In addition to Habermehl returning, the Bruins have Moliki
Matavao, a 6-foot-6 tight end heading into his fourth year of college football. He brings valuable experience, and he was a significant contributor for UCLA last season in both the pass game and in his ability as a run blocker. He caught 41 passes for 506 yards and two touchdowns and played in all 12 games in 2024.

Jack Pederson, a sophomore in his second year with the program, has also shown promise in his limited action. He only had 12 catches in 2024, but one of them was an impressive touchdown against LSU. He has good hands, good athleticism, and he may be a candidate for a breakout season in the fall.

With Sunseri leading the offense, the tight ends are expected to have a much bigger impact in 2025. Especially with star transfer Nico Iamaleava playing quarterback, the Bruins want to provide him with big, strong pass catchers who have the ability to make physical catches.

Surprisingly, in the inconsistent offense of last season, Matavao actually led the Bruins in receiving yards and catches. Next on the list was running back T.J. Harden, who transferred to SMU this spring. With a new quarterback who missed all of spring practice, young receivers, and a few transfers coming in, this tight end group has the most experience on the offense, something the Bruins will likely lean on in the fall.

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