The woefully thin UCLA offensive line got a bit heftier on Tuesday as Citrus College transfer Albert Cid, all 6-foot-3, 330 pounds of him, joined the Bruins on Day 2 of fall camp.
With the admissions process behind him and the prospects of contributing immediately directly ahead, Cid was all smiles after practice.
A smile almost as wide as the one sported by offensive line coach Bob Palcic, who could’ve used a lucky break or two this time, after losing projected left tackle Jeff Baca to a broken ankle in spring camp.
With Baca sidelined likely until October and sixth-year senior Sean Sheller sliding from guard to tackle, Cid could have an Eddie Williams-like impact on the UCLA offensive line.
“I thought he was very comparable to Eddie Williams and (fellow former junior college lineman) Ryan Taylor coming out of junior college,” Palcic said. “We just put him in there for a couple plays today, and he flashed. He’s got it. It’s just going to take some time for him to learn the system.”
The Bruins execute a relatively similar zone-blocking scheme to which Cid grew accustomed at Citrus College, but he’ll need to learn the pass protection and line calls quickly if he hopes to contribute as Palcic believes he can.
With redshirt freshman Wade Yandall playing much of the first-team reps at strong-side guard and sophomore Greg Capella getting a look as well, Cid will need to spend the next couple weeks playing himself into shape – he said he hoped to get down to 315 pounds soon – and getting over the jitters a new city, a new team, a new level.
“It was crazy (being out there); I thought, ‘I’m actually going to play some D-1 football now,” Cid said. “My heart started beating really fast, like what is this?!”
cid thinks itll take two or three weeks for him to acclimate himself with the physical conditioning of the higher level, but he’s already getting some help with the mental side, relying on Baca for guidance.
“Jeff Baca, yeah, he’s been looking out for me,” Cid said. “He spends time with me on the playbook. He’s showing me everything. He’s really helping me out.”