Moliki Matavao expresses confidence in entire UCLA quarterback room
Former Oregon Ducks pass catcher turned UCLA tight end Moliki Matavao is more than confident in the entire Bruins quarterback room.
No matter who’s throwing him the football, Matavao believes the sky is the limit for UCLA. Speaking with the media earlier in the offseason, the freshly-minted Bruins tight end explained why he’s elated, regardless of who gets the nod as the starting signal caller.
“I love all of our quarterbacks,” expressed Matavao. “What’s going to be so good, one of the guys is going to be good because of so much competition. They all love on each other up. … Every one goes at it in that room. So it’s going to make the room better. Whoever comes out of it is no doubt going to take us all the way.”
Evidently, Matavao believes the competition between the numerous options Chip Kelly has to choose from in 2023 will help the Bruins in the long run. Iron sharpens iron, and there’s a lot of that going on among UCLA quarterbacks at the moment.
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.