Moliki Matavao reveals how previous Oregon to UCLA transfers impacted decision

It won’t be entirely new faces for Moliki Matavao after transferring from Oregon to UCLA. The former Ducks tight end arrives in Los Angeles to join a few of his former teammates on the Bruins 2023 roster.

Matavao is one of two former Oregon players to transfer to UCLA this offseason along with defensive lineman Keanu Williams. Last year the Bruins added cornerback Jaylin Davies and offensive lineman Jaylan Jeffers.

For Matavao, who also received an offer from UCLA coming out of high school in 2021, that only made the decision easier.

“They were big,” he said of his transfer teammates. “I was always close with Jaylin. He was one of the big guys when I was on my (official visit) here that was like, ‘make the move. You gotta come here.’ So I kind of had this place in heart and it was big coming out of high school. I just knew it was gonna be the right place for me, especially since I have a bunch of guys that I know that are here, too.”

Matavao ranks as the No. 16 tight end according to On3’s Transfer Portal Player Rankings. He recorded 19 catches for 209 yards and a pair of touchdowns over the past two seasons at Oregon. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound tight end should have a chance to start for the Bruins this season and improve upon those numbers in Chip Kelly‘s offense.

UCLA brought in a total of 13 transfers this offseason to rank No. 3 according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings. Oregon isn’t the only Pac-12 team that the Bruins poached from, however. They also added a pair of Cal transfers in receiver J.Michael Sturdivant and linebacker Femi M. Oladejo as well as former USC receiver Kyle Ford.

All those extra weapons should help UCLA as it transitions to a new starting quarterback following the departure of Dorian Thompson-Robinson for the NFL. The Bruins ranked fourth in the country in yards per game (503.6) but have a ton of production to replace.

Moliki Matavao calls UCLA freshman quarterback Dante Moore ‘the next big thing’ in college football

UCLA isn’t decided on a starting quarterback for next season just yet, but Matavao has a good feeling about Dante Moore after working with him this spring. In fact, according to Matavao, Moore is going to be the next big thing in all of college football, not just at UCLA.

“Unreal. I’ve had a lot of quarterbacks throw to me and he’s gonna be the next big thing coming out of college,” Moliki Matavao said. “Guarantee it.”

Moore ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect and No. 2 quarterback in the 2023 class according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’ll have competition from Ethan Garbers, Chase Griffin and Justyn Martin to win the starting job, but certainly enters as the most-hyped of that group.