Help is on its way for the UCLA offensive line.
Texas center Jake Raulerson announced Monday that he will join the Bruins as a graduate transfer for next season, a move that will help the team cope with the loss of four offensive linemen this offseason.
As a graduate transfer, Raulerson will be immediately eligible to play. Unlike most graduate transfers, he still has two years of eligibility remaining because he redshirted his first year at Texas and is set to earn his degree in just three years.
The offseason had thus far not been kind to the Bruins’ line. Four-year starting center Jake Brendel will graduate and four-star recruit Fred Ulu-Perry opted to transfer to the University of Hawai’i after just one season at UCLA, while tackle Caleb Benenoch and guard Alex Redmond declared for the NFL draft as underclassmen.
With Brendel gone, Raulerson will likely take over at the center position, allowing Scott Quessenberry to play at one of the starting guard spots. Quessenberry started primarily at guard in 2014 before sitting out 2015 with an injury, but many had projected him to move to center next year.
Raulerson made his official visit to UCLA over the weekend and was hosted by freshman quarterback Josh Rosen, according to Scout.com.
“I spent a lot of time with (Rosen),” Raulerson told Scout.com. “He hosted me this weekend and he’s a great kid, very mature. Guy knows how to play ball. Playing with a guy like that is exciting and the offense is going to be great next year with a guy like that at the helm.”
The lineman announced his transfer less than a day after returning to Texas. He chose UCLA over schools like Stanford, Michigan and Oregon because of his trust in the coaching staff, according to Scout.com.
“That coaching staff was awesome,” Raulerson said. “A big deal is that I felt like I could trust these guys. Trust is a big thing for me. Coach Mora seems like a very trustworthy individual. He treated me really well on the visit. He seems like a guy who really cares about his players.”
Offensive line coach Adrian Klemm recruited Raulerson, a former four-star listed at 6 foot 4 inches and 295 pounds, when Klemm worked at SMU.
“I’ve known coach Klemm since my sophomore year of high school,” Raulerson said. “He was the first guy to offer me. I’ve really trusted him for a long time. He’s been a guy that I’ve known for a while, and I think he’s a great offensive line coach. He was at SMU when I was being recruited so I didn’t really consider going to play for him there, but UCLA is a program that I definitely want to play for with a coach like that.”
Raulerson still must complete six more classes at Texas to attain his undergraduate degree, but he is expected to enroll at the UCLA Anderson School of Management in June.
Compiled by Matt Cummings, Bruin Sports senior staff.