Last year, the UCLA Bruins did not get a ton of production out of their tight end room. New UCLA head coach Bob Chesney sees that changing in 2026, with the sport beginning to utilize the position more frequently in recent years.
Tight ends have been important offensive weapons for decades, with players from Kellen Winslow to Brock Bowers all finding ways to give opposing defensive coordinators headaches. What has changed over the past few years is the amount of tight ends on the field at one time. 12 (two tight ends) and 13 (three tight ends) personnel has become popularized in recent years, placing a greater emphasis on teams having several capable tight ends on their roster.
The Bruins were still catching up in 2025. Hudson Habermehl was UCLA’s most productive tight end, catching 20 passes for 138 yards in 12 games. The Bruins No. 2 tight end was Jack Pedersen, who caught 11 passes for 72 yards.
This year, the Bruins added to their tight end room in the portal, landing commitments from James Madison’s Josh Phifer, Boston College’s Stevie Amar Jr. and Kansas State’s Brayden Loftin. In addition to those three, UCLA got four-star 2027 recruit Zac Fares.
“Very important. I think they give you the ability to play 12 personnel and get into some tighter formations that allow us to out-leverage people,” Chesney said of tight ends. “Some of our guys can do both. They can put their hand on the ground, they can be in a hit position. But then they can also split out. So I think there’s a game within the game there.”
With new offensive coordinator Dean Kennedy calling the shots for the UCLA offense, expect more action for the Bruins tight ends as offensive football continues to evolve.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA football will need more production from their tight ends in 2026
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
