Arizona offensive lineman Raymond Pulido withdraws name from transfer portal, will stay at UA

Arizona freshman offensive lineman Raymond Pulido withdrew his name from the transfer portal and will return to the Wildcats for his sophomore season.

Pulido was among the several Wildcats to enter the transfer portal following former head coach Jedd Fisch’s departure to Washington, but returns to an offensive line that returns most of its starters, including left guard Wendell Moe, center Josh Baker and standout right tackle Jonah Savaiinaea.

Pulido, from Apple Valley, California, signed with the Wildcats as a four-star prospect in 2023; he flipped his commitment from Alabama. The 6-6, 335-pound freshman entered preseason training camp as Arizona’s starting right guard, before a bicycle accident sidelined him for the nonconference schedule. Pulido earned his first start at guard in Arizona’s Pac-12-opening win over Stanford, but sustained an ankle injury that sidelined him for five games, with redshirt sophomore Leif Magnuson starting in his place.

Pulido started the final three games of the regular season at right guard, before replacing left tackle Jordan Morgan, who opted out to prepare for the NFL Draft, in Arizona’s win over Oklahoma in the Alamo Bowl. The Wildcats shifted their offensive line in the Alamo Bowl, with Pulido and Joseph Borjon at tackle and Savaiinaea, who started all 12 games in 2022 as a guard, at right guard.

In the fourth quarter of the Alamo Bowl, Savaiinaea moved to right tackle and Magnuson was inserted at right guard, which helped Arizona’s offensive score two touchdowns in the Wildcats’ come-from-behind win over the Sooners. Pulido finished his first season with a 76.8 pass-blocking grade by Pro Football Focus; he didn’t surrender a sack all season, per PFF.

With Pulido returning, the Wildcats’ starting offensive line could be — from left to right — Pulido, Moe, Baker, Magnuson and Savaiinaea. If the Wildcats want more length at tackle and return Savaiinaea to guard, UA recently signed Glendale native Alexander Doost, a 6-7, 295-pound transfer from Northwestern who was recruited by Arizona in ‘23; Doost was also recruited as an interior offensive lineman.

The Wildcats also have several young tackles in the wings: Rhino Tapa’toutai (6-5, 310 pounds), Elijha Payne (6-7, 310 pounds) and incoming freshman Justin Hylkema (6-8, 315 pounds).

The addition of Arizona’s new offensive line coach Josh Oglesby was announced on Wednesday.

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Oglesby, a Milwaukee native, was an All-Big Ten offensive lineman for the Wisconsin Badgers, and then became a graduate assistant at Wisconsin, before taking on quality control positions at Oregon State and UTEP. He also coached tight ends for the San Antonio Commanders of the ceased Alliance of American Football (AAF) and offensive line for the XFL’s Seattle Dragons.

Oglesby coached San Jose State’s offensive line for four seasons and helped SJSU left tackle Jack Snyder become the first San Jose State offensive lineman to receive All-Mountain West honors in eight years during the 2022 season.

Oglesby will now inherit an offensive line that’s expected to be among the best in the Big 12 in 2024.

Extra points:

Arizona edge rushers Isaiah Ward and Russell Davis II entered the transfer portal. Ward started 11 games as a second-year player this past season and had 30 tackles, four sacks and two fumble recoveries. Ward’s brother, Arizona linebacker Anthony Ward, is also in the transfer portal. Davis, a former star at Chandler Hamilton High School and state high school sacks leader, appeared in 11 games for the Wildcats as a sophomore and tallied 16 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Greg Biggins, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports.com, predicted ex-Arizona cornerback Ephesians Prysock to transfer to Washington to play for Fisch.