UCLA Football 2025 Depth Chart Roundup: Tight Ends

As UCLA's first practices loom ahead of the 2025 season, DeShaun Foster has cultivated a roster through recruiting and the transfer portal, ready to improve on last season.

Finishing their first season in the Big Ten with a 5-7 record, it's only up from here for the Bruins. With that being said, let's dive into UCLA's projected depth chart this upcoming season and how analysts view they'll impact UCLA. Up next, a solid group of tight ends.

Hudson Habermehl, Redshirt Senior

Habermehl is projected to be the Bruins' starting tight end, but is currently recovering from an ACL injury that kept him out all last season.

In 2023, Habermehl caught nine passes for 148 yards and three touchdowns. In the season prior, he caught 15 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. In his final season of eligibility, Habermehl is looking to return and impact the Bruins offense.

Jack Pedersen, Redshirt Junior

Pederson is also projected to be a mainstay in UCLA's offense, especially if Habermehl's injury hinders him further. Pedersen backed up Moliko Matavao last season, who was drafted with the 248th overall pick in round seven of the 2025 NFL Draft to the New Orleans Saints.

Pedersen finished last season with 12 receptions for 126 yards and one touchdown.

Jake Renda, Redshirt Senior

Renda comes to Westwood through the transfer portal from Pitt. UCLA is looking to find some untapped potential from Renda, who doesn't have much experience as a tight end, coming out of high school as a quarterback, according to Bruin Report Online.

"We've been trying to glean what we can from Sunseri's scheme since the spring began, and it mostly has cohered with our expectation based on Indiana last year -- this is going to be mostly built around 11 personnel (1 tight end, 1 running back, three receivers), with almost no 10 personnel (1 running back, four receivers) and a leavening of 12 personnel (1 running back, two tight ends, two receivers). A good rule of thumb is you need to have a minimum of three tight ends to have one on the field at all times, and four if you want to have two on the field a fair bit. In other words, adding Renda gives Sunseri the necessary combination of bodies (Habermehl, Pedersen, Renda, Bario) to be able to run what appears to be his ideal offense without having to dip into the freshmen." -- Bruin Report Online Staff

Peter Bario, Redshirt Sophomore Walk-on

Bario walked on to the Bruins in 2023 and redshirted his first season. In 2024, he appeared in two games and played mostly special teams. The expectation is that may be the case again this season.

Dylan Sims, Freshman

Sims is part of UCLA's 2025 recruiting class and will likely redshirt his first year. He is a three-star recruit and the 14th-ranked prospect out of Arizona.

"Sims will play tight end at the college level but plays more like a jumbo receiver at the high school level. At 6-5, 215 pounds, he has a ton of length and is a tough matchup down the field. He’s a fluid athlete who can make plays in the vertical passing game and does a nice job tracking the football. Looks natural catching the football and shows a nice burst after the catch. Has a large catch radius and can post up and box out smaller linebackers and safeties and should be a nice security blanket on key third down plays but also has the athleticism to pick up big chunks of yards down the field. More advanced as a receiver than an in-line blocker right now and will need to add some good weight and strength to impact the run game in a physical conference like the Big 10. Sims is a talented edge rusher as well and we like the motor and natural ability to get to the quarterback but his future is on the offensive side of the ball. Projects as a high Power 4 prospect with the talent to play for anyone out West." -- Greg Biggins, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst

Noah Flores, Freshman

Flores is a 2025 recruiting class addition as well. Reports noted that he looked pretty good in the spring, but will likely be one of the freshmen to be redshirted.

"Flores is one of the top tight ends out West with a really nice ceiling to him. He had a strong workout at the Under Armour Camp in Seattle (4/21/24) and showed a nice combination of size and athleticism. He has a prototype 6-4, 235 pound frame with a lot of length to him. He’s a plus athlete who can run and jump and has all the physical tools you want to see in a young tight end prospect. He has good hands, runs well after the catch and is more than just a possession guy, he can make plays down the field. He’s a willing blocker who has some physicality to him and as he fills out, should develop in to an every down tight end who can play in any situation. He plays more as a jumbo receiver right now but fits the mold of tight ends drafted high in recent NFL Drafts, players who played more of a receiver role and then grew in to a tight end in college. Flores is currently a high end three-star with an 89 Rating but is definitely on four-star watch and has all the tools to be very good at the college level." --Greg Biggins, 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst