UCLA adds ex-Texas OL Jake Raulerson as grad transfer

UCLA has seen its fair share of attrition on the offensive line this offseason, but the unit received a boost on Monday.

Texas transfer Jake Raulerson announced on Twitter that he will join the Bruins as a graduate transfer. The addition of Raulerson is much needed for Jim Mora’s squad with Alex Redmond, Caleb Benenoch and Jake Brendel all off to the NFL and Fred Ulu-Perry transferring to Hawaii.

The 6-foot-4, 304-pound Raulerson also visited Michigan and considered Stanford, but ultimately chose UCLA after visiting the Los Angeles campus over the weekend.

“I’m getting the ability to go to a great institution," Raulerson told BruinSportsReport.com. "It’s a great place to be. I love the coaching staff, I love the guys there, they’re really good guys and that offense is going to be something special next year."

As a graduate transfer, can play immediately in 2016 will have two years of eligibility. Raulerson started five games for the Longhorns in 2014 and also appeared in eight games in 2015. He was expected to compete for the team’s starting center job in 2016, but opted to transfer instead.

Raulerson told BruinSportsReport.com that UCLA’s academics and his relationship with offensive line coach Adrian Klemm played a big role in his decision. Klemm recruited Raulerson when he was a four-star recruit out of Celina, Texas, in the 2013 class.

“Just to be able to play my last two years of college football at a place like UCLA is going to be something special,” Raulerson said.

Raulerson is expected to join the team in June, per BruinSportsReport.

For more UCLA news, visit BruinSportsReport.com.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

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