(Photo Courtesy of Raymond Pulido/Twitter)
Local 2023 Offensive Lineman Raymond Pulido Secures Offer From UCLA Football
The Bruins may be running out of options to shore up the tackles this coming fall, but they are seemingly making a push to build out the position group in the future.
UCLA football extended a scholarship offer to class of 2023 offensive tackle Raymond Pulido on Thursday, the local prospect announced on Twitter on Thursday. Pulido just finished his junior season at Apple Valley (CA) and now measures in at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds.
Pulido also has offers from Washington, Arizona, Miami (FL) and Maryland.
Outside of the size that Pulido would bring to the table anywhere he ends up, the left tackle from San Bernardino County would fill a position of need in Westwood.
Left tackle Sean Rhyan and right tackle Alec Anderson both declared for the 2022 NFL Draft, leaving them thin at the position in 2022 and beyond. Rising sophomore Garrett DiGiorgio drew a few appearances at right tackle, but the only other player on the roster with in-game experience at either tackle spot is true guard Jon Gaines II.
Sam Yoon is the only offensive line signee of the 2022 recruiting class, and he played tackle at Loyola (CA). 2021 recruit Thomas Cole and 2020 recruit Patrick Selna are the other pure tackles set to be on the roster moving forward.
Pulido is taller and heavier than all of UCLA's current options at tackle, with fellow 6-foot-7, 300-pounder Lucas Gramlick set to graduate after next season.
Pulido was a nose guard on the other side of the ball as an underclassman. Since becoming a more exclusive offensive lineman, Pulido has stood out physically and especially impressed in the run game, earning Division 3 All-CIF Honors for 2021.
The 247Sports Composite and ESPN not have stars or grades for Pulido, while Rivals has him as a three-star lineman ranked No. 48 overall in the state of California.
UCLA has been officially recruiting Pulido since September, but there have been several key changes on the staff since then.
Offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Justin Frye has left for a job at Ohio State, and the Bruins have yet to officially announce his replacement. Pulido tagged offensive analyst Tim Drevno in his tweet about his UCLA offer, though, and Drevno has been reported as coach Chip Kelly’s choice to become the next offensive line coach.
Three of the six schools that offered Pulido a scholarship have changed head coaches, so Kelly’s extension has at least helped the Bruins avoid that company. Washington fired Jimmy Lake and replaced him with Fresno State coach Kalen DeBoer, and DeBoer reoffered Pulido after he arrived in Seattle. Mario Cristobal reoffered Pulido from Miami (FL) as well.
UCLA does not have any 2023 commits on the offensive side of the ball, but the staff has now sent out three scholarship offers to offensive tackles.
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