LOS ANGELES — UCLA’s spring football camp has begun its third week and in the background the coaching staff is bracing for changes that could be brought about by the ongoing legal case known as House vs. NCAA.

The House settlement will decide whether schools share revenue with student-athletes and determine the size of a team based on roster limits rather than scholarships.

Offseason roster planning isn’t as routine as in previous years with such a big potential change on the horizon.

“There’s contingency plans, no matter what,” tight ends coach Jerry Neuheisel told reporters on Monday. “I think, especially with everything going on in college football, you have to be prepared to adapt. We’ve got three or four different plans in place of where we’re kind of going to go with the roster.”

Head coach DeShaun Foster said earlier in spring football camp that the Bruins’ current roster size is at 93 players. More scholarship players could come in for fall camp.

The House vs. NCAA’s outcome could introduce a 105-player roster limit.

Another change that UCLA has undergone is eliminating spring walk-on tryouts. Foster told reporters on Monday that they will “not necessarily” be having them this spring.

“We had to get down on the numbers, not necessarily go up,” Foster said. “I didn’t want to add people until I know exactly where my roster is and we’ll go from there.”

Young tight ends impress early

Hudson Habermehl, who has four seasons of playing experience, is still recovering from an ACL injury sustained last spring. He’s expected to be healthy for fall camp and until then, younger players at the position have had the opportunity to prove their worth.

Jack Pedersen, who will be a redshirt junior, has been gaining playing time over the last three seasons and caught 12 passes for 126 yards in the 2024 season. He’s only improved since then, according to Neuheisel.

“The growth that he’s had as a blocker and a passer and a route runner up until this year, it’s awesome,” he said. “Top of the route-wise, it’s night and day. The twitch at the top of the route, the ability to create separation, the ability to do it with speed. The ability to do it with body control.”

Pedersen has been seen taking repetitions with the first team offense and catching passes from Appalachian State transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar.

“Joey’s great,” Pedersen said. “He’s came in and been a natural leader. Looking forward to continuing our mesh during the spring. He’s done a great job with getting us out here on the weekends and having these player-run walk-throughs, orchestrating that and getting us ready.”

Peter Bario came to UCLA as a preferred walk-on defensive end but switched to tight end midway through last season. He — as well as early enrollees Noah Flores and Dylan Sims — will compete in spring and fall for a spot on the depth chart.

“I’m really excited about them,” Neuheisel said of Flores and Sims. “They’re proving that they’ll be ready to go for the season, and when we need them and their name is called.”

Injury updates

Wide receiver Rico Flores, tight end Hudson Habermehl and defensive lineman Keanu Williams were each seen going through resistance band drills outside of Wasserman Football Center on Monday morning.

Neuheisel told reporters that Habermehl has been participating in walk-throughs and has been running up to 18 miles per hour in his recovery process.