The UCLA Bruins need to replace longtime starting guard Jeff Baca, and Katy (Texas) Seven Lakes offensive guard Caleb Benenoch, who signed with the Bruins on Wednesday, hopes he could be the guy to step in quickly.
Caleb Benenoch signs with UCLA
The big guard is part of a strong offensive line class for the Bruins.
A consensus four-star prospect, the 6’5, 320-pounder is considered one of the 20 best offensive guards in the nation and one of the top 50 players in the state of Texas by the 247Sports composite rankings. He held offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Auburn, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M and West Virginia, among many others.
As a prospect, Benenoch is rather raw. He has the size to play outside at tackle, but projects as a guard because he doesn’t have the foot speed in pass protection to deal with edge rushers. With his height on the interior, he will have to work on making sure that he comes off the ball low and with a flat back in college or he will have trouble with quicker defensive tackles who can get under his shoulder pads.
On the positive side, Benenoch is athletic for his size and possesses the persistence to maintain and finish blocks when he gets his hands on defenders, whether at the line of scrimmage or at the second level. His initial punch isn’t the most powerful in his class, but his pure mass can help make up for that and allow him to win blocking battles.
Twitter: @CalebBenenoch79
Recruitment timeline: For more on Benenoch’s recruitment, check out his StoryStream.
Highlight video:
Caleb Benenoch, Junior Highlight Tape (via cbenenoch1)
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