Raulerson

Texas OL Jake Raulerson poses for a photo

(Courtesy of Jake Raulerson's Twitter account)

The Oregon Ducks' need at the center position was on full display during the second half of the stunning 47-41 loss to TCU in the Alamo Bowl, as senior center Matt Hegarty's injury led to snap after snap skidding on the turf, throwing off the timing of the offense.

Hoping to address that need, Oregon is set to host Texas transfer center Jake Raulerson on an official visit later this month:

The 6-foot-4, 295-pound offensive lineman, who has two years of eligibility remaining according to Burnt Orange Nation, elected to transfer from Texas in late December.

"The past three years at Texas have been incredible. I have made memories and friendships that will last me a lifetime," he wrote. "I feel so blessed to have been able to pursue my dreams at such a prestigious University. I will be graduating from the McCombs School of Business in May at which time I have decided to pursue a graduate degree at another University. In life, not everything goes the way you plan and I have faith that God is going to lead me where I belong and I will make the most of the opportunities that I am given along the way. I have received my release to communicate with other teams and graduate programs and I am excited to see where the next two years lead me. I will always be a Texas Longhorn."

As a redshirt freshman in 2014, Raulerson started five games for the Longhorns, four of which came at center.

In the recruiting class of 2013, Raulerson was rated the No. 2 center in the country and the No. 119 player overall in the 247Sports composite rankings. He held offers from Alabama, Auburn, Baylor, Florida, Illinois, Miami (Fla.), Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Texas, Texas A&M, Stanford and many others.

The interior lineman has already taken a visit to Ann Arbor to check out Michigan and has also set a trip to UCLA.

If Raulerson were to commit to Oregon it would mark the second consecutive season the Ducks turned to a graduate transfer for both its quarterback and center.

Last year, the Ducks added Eastern Washington quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and Notre Dame center Matt Hegarty, while Oregon has brought in Montana State quarterback Dakota Prukop for next season's squad.

-- Andrew Nemec

anemec@oregonian.com

@AndrewNemec