The Front Row

Horns nab first football pledge for 2013: Celina lineman Jake Raulerson
By Randy Riggs
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Well, that didn't take long.

The national signing day for college football's 2012 recruiting class was Wednesday. On Friday, the Longhorns got their first commitment for 2013. And it is a significant one.

Jake Raulerson, a versatile lineman from Class 3A Celina who has attracted attention from almost every major program in the country, called coach Mack Brown Friday morning and told him he will play for Texas.

"It just felt right, everything about the place," Raulerson said Friday. "I love it down there. The coaching staff is great, and I know most of the players already, which is something unique from the other places I considered."

The 6-foot-5-inch, 252-pound Raulerson, who plays offensive and defensive tackle for Celina, is the fourth-ranked overall prospect in Texas for 2013, and is ranked No. 23 overall nationally by 247Sports.

Raulerson is one of only a few Texas recruits under Brown to receive and accept an offer prior to his official junior-day visit. Others have included quarterbacks Garrett Gilbert (2009) and Connor Brewer (2011).

"It's a very big deal to me," Raulerson said of being Texas' first commitment for next year's class. "I'm very honored to be able to be that guy who starts it off."

Raulerson will visit Texas when the Longhorns host the first of their two junior days on Feb. 12. He said the coaches have told him he might start out at defensive end and "situationally put me at tight end in blocking schemes."

He said he can play any position on the offensive and defensive lines. But where Raulerson ends up depends on how much he grows.

Celina coach Butch Ford says he believes Raulerson's frame can hold 300 pounds.

"He's going to put on 50 pounds or more, I would imagine," Ford said. "And he's going to be able to handle it.

"Sometimes those kind of guys are a little soft and a little slow, but he's pretty dadgum athletic. He's got all the tools — the size, athleticism and strength — but he's also a gung-ho, high-motor guy. Pretty much any positive thing you can think of, he fits that mold."

► Raulerson unofficially visited several schools and spoke with numerous coaches before making it official with Texas.

Among the coaches he talked to were Alabama's Nick Saban, Auburn's Gene Chizik, Arkansas' Bobby Petrino,
Florida's Will Muschamp, Ohio State's Urban Meyer, Stanford's David Shaw, North Carolina's Larry Fedora and SMU's June Jones.

"They're all great coaches, and I enjoyed talking to every single one of them," Raulerson said.

"But coach Brown is definitely the one I like most. He reminds me a lot of coach Ford here. They're practically the same guy, and I think that's really cool."

http://www.statesman.com/sports/longhorns/horns-nab-first-football-pledge-for-2013-celina-2147288.html