Moliki Matavao evaluates first spring at UCLA

UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao transferred in from Oregon during the winter, making this his first spring camp with the Bruins. He said it has been great playing in the new system.

“As a team, it’s fun to be playing with all the guys, learning the offense, getting to know my teammates,” Matavao said after a recent spring practice. “But this is a different type of team I’ve been on. I came from a place and now I’ve seen this team, it’s just a whole new perspective and I’m loving how the team works together and also how the team’s helping me grow as a player. It’s all pluses here.”

Matavao started eight games over his two seasons with the Ducks. He had 19 catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns over those 26 games.

On3’s Matt Zenitz said despite the small sample size, Matavao has a chance to be a less-hyped transfer who makes a big impact this season.

“Matavao, a former four-star recruit, made six starts for Oregon last season,” Zenitz said. “He finished the season with 10 catches for 134 yards and a touchdown. Matavao was the No. 5 tight end and the No. 165 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class in the On3 Industry Ranking.”

Moliki Matavao one of 13 transfers in to the UCLA program

After the most successful season under head coach Chip Kelly, UCLA did a great job in the transfer portal landing players like Moliki Matavao. The team ranks third in the On3 Transfer Portal Rankings behind USC and Colorado.

Matavao isn’t the only player from Oregon to transfer to the Bruins in the offseason as defensive lineman
Keanu Williams has joined Matavao in Westwood. also had two players transfer to UCLA in linebacker Femi Oladejo and wide receiver J.Michael Sturdivant. The two, who were were two of the Golden Bears best players during the 2022 season, were good friends at Cal before they both transferred. Former Trojans wide receiver Kyle Ford is the other Pac-12 transfer into the program this offseason.

There are a few more players the Bruins are expecting to arrive in June but Kelly already thinks this one of the deepest teams he has had at UCLA.

“I think that’s the good thing about it, that we really have a lot of depth,” Kelly said. “This is, will be one of our deepest teams in terms of who can play, and how many players we can play. We’ll be at 85 scholarships when we get to the fall, so we feel really good about where we are, feel really good about our depth as we continue to develop it.”