Texas OC Jake Raulerson announces intent to become a graduate transfer

The Texas Longhorns will be without the team's prospective starting center in 2016, as redshirt sophomore Jake Raulerson announced his intentions to graduate and transfer on Thursday:

Excited for the next chapter in my life. Thankful for the University of Texas for everything! pic.twitter.com/HZXn7VHQN1

— Jake from Statefarm (@JakeRaulerson55) December 10, 2015

He will have two years of eligibility remaining.

With senior center Taylor Doyle now out of his own eligibility, Raulerson was expected to step into the starting role next season after playing sparingly in 2015, so the Horns will now have to figure out the next move at center because redshirt freshman Terrell Cuney probably won't be ready to emerge as a starter next fall.

The 6'5, 281-pound Raulerson was known as the bellcow of the 2013 Texas recruiting class after he became the first pledge. A two-way player in high school at Celina, the consensus four-star prospect was considered the nation's No. 2 center by the 247Sports Composite rankings, but he was so undersized to play offensive line that his development was always going to take several years.

In 2016, the time spent maturing and getting stronger was supposed to pay off for Raulerson, but if that breakthrough happens, it will be at another school.

Of the four offensive linemen recruited in the 2013 class, junior Kent Perkins is the only one still left at Texas.