This post was updated Aug. 28 at 7:17 p.m

As UCLA football gears up for its second year under coach DeShaun Foster and second season in the Big Ten, Daily Bruin Sports will preview the personnel of each of the Bruins’ position groups and predict their 2025 outlook prior to the season’s official start. Sports editor Connor Dullinger will continue the series with a dive into the squad’s wide receivers and tight ends.

Personnel

UCLA’s wide receiver room boasted depth that rivaled its Big Ten adversaries a year ago.

With former offensive coordinator and Super Bowl champion Eric Bieniemy heading Foster’s offense, it seemed inevitable that wide receivers J.Michael Sturdivant and Logan Loya would excel heading into the 2024 campaign.

UCLA’s passing offense, however, averaged just 18.4 points per game, ranking 126th out of 134 Football Bowl Subdivision teams last season. Meanwhile, Loya saw his receiving yard total dip from 655 in 2023 to 348 just a year later. Similarly, Sturdivant’s receiving yard total fell from 597 to 315 – illustrating the depths to which UCLA’s offensive arsenal had plummeted.

Now Loya, Sturdivant and Bieniemy are no longer part of Foster’s revamped program. The former NFL coordinator returned to the league as the Chicago Bears’ running backs coach, and the Bruins’ former top two receivers departed via the portal.

But an overhaul may complement Foster’s rebuild year and give the position group a much-needed fresh start.

Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tino Sunseri joined the coaching staff in December, a month after helping lead Indiana to a program record 11 wins. The offense posted the second-most points in the nation with 41.3 per game and ranked second in team passing efficiency with a 174.03 mark under his control.

Burl Toler III will step in as the team’s passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach and assist Sunseri. Toler brings 12 years of coaching experience and joined the staff from California. He should have no problem adjusting to the roster turnover at UCLA, – Cal returned just one wideout in 2024, but the assistant coach still helped guide a passing offense that ranked 37th nationally, recording 258.6 air yards per contest.

Sophomore wide receiver Kwazi Gilmer and redshirt senior Titus Mokiao-Atimalala should take the mantle as the starting wideouts. Gilmer boasted 31 receptions, 345 receiving yards and two touchdowns during his true freshman campaign and appears poised for a breakout sophomore season – with the addition of redshirt sophomore Nico Iamaleava.

The injury bug plagued Mokiao-Atimalala the last two seasons, as he missed the entirety of 2023 and three games in 2024. But he should see increased production this season if he stays healthy.

A notable addition to the room is junior wide receiver Mikey Matthews – who should assume starting slot receiver duties this season. Although Matthews boasted only 32 catches and 272 receiving yards last season, his speed and pass-catching abilities may make him a solid receiving option for Iamaleava.

Despite Matthews’ trusty hands, redshirt junior tight end Jack Pedersen may be the signal caller’s most reliable option over the middle of the field. At Tennessee, Iamaleava’s three tight ends racked up six receiving touchdowns, with Miles Kitselman leading the pack – and ranking second on the team – with four.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Jaedon Wilson could also assume a central air attack role, bringing veteran leadership and experience in the locker room after playing three seasons at Arkansas and one at Louisville.

The Bruins also possess a group of talented freshman wide receivers, including two three-star recruits in Jace Brown and Shane Rosenthal.

Predictions

While 2024’s wide receiver group may have boasted more depth and proven experience, 2025’s pass-catching unit could possess more untapped potential.

And even if the Bruins’ pass catchers don’t live up to the 2023 group’s talent and statistical prowess, UCLA appears primed to cultivate a more explosive, reliable and well-rounded offense from years prior.

Sunseri is well-accustomed to developing quarterbacks he hasn’t worked with before, having helped former Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke place ninth in the Heisman rankings. Rourke also led the Big Ten – and ranked seventh in the Power Four – with an 88.4 passer rating mark.

Now with Iamaleava under center – a more polished prospect than Rourke with more pro-level physical attributes – Sunseri should have no problem helping Iamaleava produce a season that proves any naysayers wrong.

Moreover, Iamaleava will provide the Bruin pass-catchers with quarterback play that improves upon last season’s performances. Former quarterback Ethan Garbers ranked outside the conference top seven in passer rating, passing touchdowns, passing yards and completion percentage last season, while also tying for a conference-most interceptions with 11.

Meanwhile, Iamaleava threw for 2,616 yards and 19 touchdowns while only throwing five interceptions. The Bruins’ receivers should receive a lot more catchable targets with Iamaleava delivering passes, and if the former five-star can spread the ball around the field, Gilmer, Matthews and Mokiao-Atimalala should thrive.

The Bruins also have enough depth for players to rise to the occasion if their projected starters falter. Redshirt sophomore and former Notre Dame wide receiver Rico Flores Jr. shone when given the opportunity last year. Despite only playing four games last season – missing the majority of the season due to injury – Flores showed flashes of success, including 102 receiving yards in the team’s season opener against Hawai’i last August.

However, with the departure of tight end Moliki Matavao to the NFL, the Bruins lack an imposing and formidable tight end to complement the receiving corps this upcoming season.

Pedersen – the tight end with the most experience on the roster – logged just four starts and 12 catches across 12 games last season. No other UCLA tight end posted a single start last season.

Iamaleava may have made headlines in the offseason, but the only way he can thrive in a new environment is if his offensive weapons fill the voids left behind.