Chat with new UCLA JC O-Line commit Albert Cid

Earlier this morning, Scout.com’s Brandon Huffman reported that Citrus College offensive guard Albert Cid committed to UCLA recently, spurning offers from Arizona and Utah.

I just spoke with the ready-to-contribute guard, and he had some interesting things to say about his college decision, and what he hopes to bring to the UCLA offensive line.

JG: Albert, talk about your decision to pick UCLA and how it feels to be done with the recruiting process…
Albert Cid: “It was a really relieving decision I made. It was a dream school. It’s a dream school of mine. It felt good making that decision.”

JG: What finally made you pick UCLA?
AC: “I felt that the education, getting a UCLA degree, would be really good for me. Growing up I didn’t care about education, but now I see how important it is. A degree from UCLA means a lot in life.”

JG: I talk to kids all the time who’ve had that kind of epiphany; when did it happen for you?
AC: “It was in high school; my high school coach told me daily to do well in school. Entering my junior year, I said, ‘I’m going to change my life.’ I knew I wasn’t going to get an academic scholarship, but if I got good grades, and did well with football, I thought I could get into a university.”

JG: What made you look past the team’s record last season?
AC: “I feel like I can impact the team right away. I can upgrade the offensive line. I carry myself with a lot of confidence on the football field. No matter where I would go, I feel O could play. I’m physical. I like to play nasty. And I think that’s what the line needs at UCLA. A little nasty.”

JG: Describe nasty…
AC: “I’ve always been a very physical person. When I used to play basketball, I used to foul out a lot. I would be in for two, three minutes, and I would already have three fouls. I’ve always been a physical person and I’ve always played that way.”

JG: What about the football program made you pick UCLA?
AC: “I want UCLA to be a winning program again. I want to be a part of that. I really like head coach Rick Neuheisel. I trust him.”

JG: So tell me about yourself as a football player?
“I’m 6-3, 325 pounds. I’ll pull, pass block, block a defensive tackle, a defensive player, in any way, any way I have to. One thing I like doing is blocking to the whistle. A lot of people make the block and watch the game. No, you block until the whistle. I just like to dominate people. I like the feeling when you dominate somebody and they know you’re going to keep coming for four quarters and not one play.”