Moliki Matavao addresses UCLA's depth in the tight end room
Former Oregon Ducks pass catcher turned UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao is waxing poetic about the Bruins tight end room.
Speaking with the media, Matavao singled out teammates like Carsen Ryan and Hudson Habermehl, explaining how close he’s become with them, and how much confident he has in their abilities.
“It’s awesome,” responded Matavao. “It’s fun playing with a bunch of guys that are good. Hud has been just like, a great mentor. Just leaning on him to teach me all the ways of the offense. Coach [Chip] Kelly’s probably been the toughest offense that I’ve had to learn. It’s been great having guys like you know, Hud, Carsen has also been really big with you know, helping me out. The whole room. Like it’s just, I’ve bonded really well with them.
“It’s awesome. We hangout outside of the football field, and it’s a great — it’s a great room.”
As the new face in a strange place, it’s awesome to hear Matavao is adjusting well to his fresh surroundings, and hopefully it’ll allow his immense talent to shine through.
Continuing, Matavao elaborated on how his first spring in Los Angeles went, stating that he’s having ball getting ready for a new campaign with UCLA.
“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.”
Moreover, 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.”
Time will tell, but Moliki Matavao could have a big season with UCLA in his first season in Los Angeles, and it’s going to be fun to witness.