After planning to transfer from Texas and play his final two years with the UCLA Football team, it came out today that center Jake Raulerson will not be coming to Westwood.
UCLA Football‘s offensive line took a hit today as it was revealed that potential Texas transfer Jake Raulerson will not be joining the Bruins this fall.
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Raulerson graduated from Texas in three years and has two more years of eligibility — a rarity in transfer cases — and would have immediately played for the Bruins as he was projected to be a starter.
Unfortunately, that is no longer possible.
According Tracey Pierson of Bruin Report Online, Raulerson was not able to get into any of the graduate programs he applied for. “Raulerson applied for admission to both the MBA and Masters in Applied Economics programs at UCLA. He was given assurances that, if he wasn’t admitted into the MBA program, he would have a spot in the MAE program. He was subsequently turned down for both programs this spring.”
The Texas OL graduate transfer, Jake Raulerson, won't be coming to UCLA. Story here: https://t.co/76YzQnVnM8
— Bruin Report Online (@BruinReport) June 8, 2016
Pierson went on to state that Raulerson was offered a spot in the Education program, but he turned it down as his ultimate goal is to get into sports management.
This is a big blow for the Bruins. Offensive linemen Jake Brendel, Caleb Benenoch and Alex Redmond have all left the program due to graduation or opting for a chance at the NFL, so the Bruins are already thin on the line. Raulerson was expected to take over for four-year starter Brendel, but now Head Coach Jim Mora and his staff now have to look for other options.
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With Raulerson choosing UCLA Football as a landing spot last winter, it appeared the Bruins would have been in good shape next season with the return of LT Conor McDermott for his final year of eligibility and G Scott Quessenberry from shoulder surgery. UCLA was also projected to have RT Kolton Miller and G Kenny Lacy starting on the line.
As far as the center position now, Quessenberry, who handled most of the first team snaps in Spring Practice, could be the primary choice. The Bruins also have Najee Toran who will most likely be the back-up (unless who proves he can handle the start).
With Quessenberry moving over from the guard spot, the Bruins have to fill another void which could come from Poasi Moala who has experience at the guard position. UCLA also has several up-and-coming players that could see time as a back-up, the only problem there is the lack of depth and experience.
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Either way, the bottom line is that UCLA is in a spot of trouble with this Raulerson development. With the Bruins trying to incorporate more power formations into their playbook, Mora and Co. will have to scramble to solidify their unproven offensive line as well as adapt to the new offensive schemes.