Former Oregon Ducks tight end Moliki Matavao has announced his transfer to the UCLA Bruins after two years in Eugene.
The UCLA Bruins have been making some waves on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal over the past couple of weeks.
Just a day after they were able to flip 5-star quarterback Dante Moore from the Oregon Ducks, the Bruins also added former Oregon TE Moliki Matavao through the transfer portal.
Matavao is a former 4-star TE who strongly considered UCLA coming out of high school, but ended up signing with the Ducks. After two seasons in Eugene, Matavao entered the transfer portal in what was viewed as a relatively surprising move, considering that he had found some success with the Ducks and was poised for a nice future.
Oregon loses tight end Moliki Matavao to the transfer portal, leaving three experienced tight ends for the Holiday Bowl.
Oregon’s tight end room got a bit crowded in 2022, but now it’s going to miss one piece as the Ducks prepare for North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl.
It’s being reported that sophomore tight end Moliki Matavao has entered the transfer portal and will continue his college career elsewhere.
At 6-foot-6 and 256 pounds, one would think that Matavao will be a coveted transfer for any Power 5 team who needs a big and versatile tight end.
Playing time doesn’t seem to be an issue for Matavao as he played in all 14 games last season and 11 this year. He was able to score a touchdown against Arizona and caught 10 passes for 134 yards.
Oregon will be down to Terrance Ferguson, Cam McCormick, and Patrick Herbert at that position for the bowl game in San Diego.
With the injury bug hopefully behind him, tight end Patrick Herbert is ready to get his Oregon career off the ground.
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Fair or not, when the back of the uniform says Herbert, expectations have a way of going through the roof.
Fans were talking about that Herbert-to-Herbert connection even before Patrick, a tight end, had committed to Oregon. Unfortunately, quarterback Justin Herbert never got to throw a pass to “little” brother Patrick because of injuries.
Now Patrick, who’s not so little at 6-foot-5 and nearly 250 pounds, seems to have his injuries behind him and is ready to be that player opposing defenses lose sleep over as he was at Sheldon High School.
Herbert hasn’t played in a real game since 2019 and it could have been easy to fall out of the loop or lose some of his competitive edge. According to Oregon coach Dan Lanning, that’s just not the case. It’s quite the opposite.
“I think Pat’s been really eager to get back out there on the field. So I was excited to get to see him get some work,” Lanning said. “It’s so easy when you’re off the field and not able to get in there and involved to kind of fall out of the circle and fall out of the focus of what you got to do on the field. I’m excited to see Pat get out there and really pick it up pretty quick.”
The Ducks have a number of highly-recruited tight ends already on the roster, including Terrance Ferguson and Moliki Matavao. Both played their share of snaps last season. If Herbert is anything like his brother, Herbert was born with a competitive fire that shouldn’t be overlooked.
The Oregon Ducks continue to answer the call every time Ohio State gets within one score.
The latest was a six-play, 74 yard drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Anthony Brown to tight end Moliki Matavao, giving the Ducks a 35-21 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.
The big play of the drive was a 30-yard pass to Spencer Webb that also resulted in a 15-yard facemask penalty, getting Oregon all the way to the Ohio State 25 yard line.
A pair of runs from CJ Verdell, who has been excellent all game long, got Oregon to the 14 yard line, and a quick pass to Matavao resulted in another touchdown.
The real highlight of the play was Brown’s reaction. As soon as he released the pass, Brown pulled a Steph Curry by looking toward Ohio State’s sideline and putting his finger to his lips in a shhh motion – as the touchdown was being scored.
It’s been that kind of game for the Ducks, who are looking to move to 2-0 on the season with perhaps the biggest road victory in school history on the line.
Patrick Herbert will finally have the chance to show his stuff for Oregon as the starting tight end spot could be up for grabs.
When it comes to the depth chart for tight ends at Oregon, size certainly won’t be an issue.
What might be an issue is to figure out who is going to step up in the spring and fall to claim the starting spot on the roster, though. Thankfully for Mario Cristobal and his staff, they have a lot of good options to choose from.
(AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
Most, if not all of the Ducks faithful are going to want to see what Patrick Herbert has to offer. Justin Herbert’s younger brother was a standout himself at Sheldon High School as a tight end, and his 6-foot-5, 244-pound frame makes for a perfect target over the middle, while also providing some value in pass protection.
Herbert was the No. 1 recruit to come from the state in 2018 and he was a USA Today first-team All-Oregon selection at the tight end position, earning first-team 6A All-State honors by The Oregonian as a tight end and honorable mention recognition as a punter. Herbert had 43 receptions for 797 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior for the Irish.
Many were hoping for that Herbert-to-Herbert connection when Justin was a senior, but the younger Herbert played in just one game in 2019 before redshirting and didn’t see any game action in 2020. Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead’s scheme does feature the tight end, which should highlight Herbert’s unique abilities.
Most likely, however, junior DJ Johnson and sophomore Spencer Webb will be the frontrunners to be the starting tight end for Oregon.
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
After transferring from Miami and sitting out a season, Johnson was able to finally make some plays for the Ducks in 2020. At 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, the former defensive end turned TE caught 10 passes for 113 yards and three touchdowns.
As for Webb, the 6-foot-6, 240-pounder played in all 12 games in 2019 as a redshirt freshman, catching 18 passes for 209 yards and three scores. Unfortunately for Webb, he was injured for most of 2020 and didn’t get to play. Oregon is hoping those injury days are behind him and Webb can turn back into his 2019 form.
The same can be said for Cam McCormick, a 6-foot-5, 251-pounder from Bend, Ore. His career has been plagued with injuries for the past three seasons. If he can somehow avoid the injury bug, the senior can provide some extra muscle and another huge target to throw at.
If for some reason Webb and/or McCormack can’t play at full capacity, Oregon brought in one of the top prep tight ends in the nation in 6-foot-6, 240-pound Moliki Matavao from Henderson, Nevada. Nearly every school gave him a scholarship offer despite his senior season being canceled for the pandemic.
4-star TE Moliki Matavao, a Georgia football recruiting target, has made his college decision.
Georgia misses out on 4-star tight end Moliki Matavao…
On Monday, 4-star 2021 tight end Moliki Matavao (Henderson, Nevada) released a top-four of Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and UCLA.
On Wednesday night, Matavao put an end to his recruitment and announced that he will be attending Oregon.
He ranks as the nation’s No. 151 overall player, No. 4 tight end and as the top player in Nevada.
The Liberty High School prospect holds 30+ scholarship offers and had been predicted to sign with Oregon for a little while now, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball.
Georgia put up a good fight for Matavao, but in the end the 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect likely wanted to remain closer to home.
As for Georgia and the tight end position, the Bulldogs are still heavily recruiting 4-star Brock Bowers out of Napa, California. At 6-foot-3, he is the nation’s No. 51 overall player according to 247Sports.
It’s not all bad news for Georgia on the recruiting trail, though. On Tuesday, the Dawgs picked up a commitment from 4-star outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss. Then on Wednesday night, just a few hours before Matavao’s announcement, Georgia received its first 2022 commitment from 4-star cornerback Marquis Groves-Killebrew.
Georgia currently has eight commits in the class of 2021 and has the nation’s No. 16 ranked class.
4-star UGA TE target Moliki Matavao has released his top-four schools just two days before his commitment date.
4-star 2021 tight end Moliki Matavao has released his top-four schools just two days before he will announce his commitment.
Matavao (Henderson, Nevada) released a top-four of Georgia, Oregon, Penn State and UCLA.
Washington and Tennessee both were included in his top-six last month but did not make it into the final four.
Matavao (6-foot-6, 240-pounds) will announce his college decision on May 27th at 9 p.m. ET.
He ranks as the nation’s No. 151 overall player, No. 4 tight end and as the top player in Nevada.
The Liberty High School prospect holds 30+ scholarship offers and is predicted to sign with the Oregon Ducks, according to 247Sports’ Crystal Ball predictions.
4-star TE Moliki Matavao, a Georgia football recruiting target, has set a commitment date.
Moliki Matavao, a four-star tight end from Henderson, Nevada in the class of 2021, is considering Georgia, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Tennessee and Penn State.
Matavao released his top-six schools back in April, and now he has set a commitment date.
Matavao tweeted recently that he will be committing on May 27.
247Sports composite has Matavao ranked as the No. 4 tight end, No. 149 overall recruit and as the top player in the state of Nevada for the 2021 cycle.
Matavao has Georgia roots, with his grandmother and two of his uncles living in Hinesville, Georgia.
The 6-foot-6, 245-pound rising senior visited Georgia last summer.
Sunday, Moliki Matavao, a 4-star TE from Nevada, took to Twitter to announce his top-six schools which includes Georgia football.
Moliki Matavao, a 4-star TE from Henderson, Nevada, took to Twitter to announce his top-six schools.
Georgia, Oregon, Washington, UCLA, Tennessee and Penn State made his top-six.
247Sports composite has Matavao ranked as the No. 4 TE and No. 144 overall recruit in the 2021 recruiting class.
The Liberty High School prospect holds 34 scholarship offers and is predicted to sign with the Washington Huskies, according to 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions.
“Can run past linebackers in space. Decent hands with ability to high-point the football in tight spaces. Well-rounded weapon who can line up out wide or block at the line of scrimmage.”
The Nevada four-star included the Wolverines in his list of contenders for his services.
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The Wolverines are certainly after their fair share of top flight tight ends in 2021.
There are players such as almost-five-star Thomas Fidone out of Iowa, Massachusetts’ Louis Hansen and recent offer Jack Pugh out of Ohio, who has visited Ann Arbor multiple times now. But one prominent tight end that shouldn’t be forgotten in the mix is Henderson (NV) Liberty four-star Moliki Matavao, who’s long been a target of tight ends coach Sherrone Moore.
Matavao has held his Michigan offer for more than a year now, having received it last year in March. The maize and blue have been a constant for the 6-foot-6, 240-pound prospect, so much so that when he dropped his top ten on Saturday, the Wolverines made the cut.
The Wolverines are, however, in a battle with Ohio State, LSU, Tennessee, Penn State, Washington, Oregon, UCLA, Georgia and Miami (FL).
Matavao is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the 145th-best prospect in 2021, regardless of position. The 247Sports Crystal Ball indicates that he’s currently a Washington lean, with one prediction for him to end up in Seattle.
