Tag: Nolan Rucci

Penn State gets another addition with Florida transfer cornerback

Penn State adds defensive back from SEC school out of transfer portal.

Penn State has things absolutely rolling in the transfer portal during the early cycle.

Wide receiver was the biggest need they had to address and they were able to land [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag]. Then two players from Wisconsin decided to come to Happy Valley with offensive tackle [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag] and linebacker [autotag]Jordan Mayer[/autotag] transferring to Penn State.

The good news continued to come when former five-star cornerback and Georgia Bulldog, [autotag]A.J. Harris[/autotag], committed to the Nittany Lions.

Now, [autotag]James Franklin[/autotag] has landed another defensive piece by getting Florida cornerback transfer [autotag]Jalen Kimber[/autotag] to flip his commitment from Louisville to Penn State on Thursday.

The 6’0″ 185-pound corner initially enrolled at Georgia coming out of high school as a four-star rated prospect and the No. 105 player in the 2020 class.

He then transferred to Florida in 2022 and spent two seasons there, playing in 25 games and recording 36 tackles with one interception.

Kimber will spend his final year of eligibility with Penn State and could become an immediate starter with only one upperclassman in the cornerback room.

Initially, it looked like he was headed to Louisville after he committed to them early on in his process without ever visiting their campus.

Kimber still decided to see Penn State and that’s where his thought process started to change after meeting with the coaching staff and developing a relationship with cornerbacks coach [autotag]Terry Smith[/autotag].

The next steps will move quickly for the Nittany Lions.

Greg Pickel of BlueWhiteIlustrated reports, “Kimber is likely to enroll for the spring semester and start classes next week. That, of course, will allow him to participate in spring practice.”

Getting him involved in spring practices will be an important step to ensuring he can be a starter on this team heading into next season as he’ll get a full offseason of work with new defensive coordinator [autotag]Tom Allen[/autotag].

It’s been a great transfer season so far for Penn State and it doesn’t seem like they are done adding yet.

Where experts rank Penn State in their way-too-early Top 25 projections

Experts rank Penn State in their way-too-early Top 25

The college football season reaches its pinnacle tonight, with Michigan and Washington facing off in the CFP National Championship game. However, it is never too early to look at the 2024 season, especially when predicting what the Top 25 will look like this August.

Penn State ended its 2023 season on a sour note, losing to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. With several players off to the NFL and two new coordinators now in the fold, it will be an exciting offseason to watch from a fan’s perspective. Some interesting pieces have come in through the transfer Portal, including [autotag]Julian Fleming[/autotag] and [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag]. Can they be difference-makers? Only time will tell.

The Nittany Lions opened up this past season as the nation’s seventh-ranked team. If I had to guess, that would be the ceiling for a preseason Top-25 ranking, the more likely spot being between 10 and 12. Let’s see where some college football experts rank Penn State in their way-too-early Top 25 projections.

Former five-star Wisconsin offensive tackle commits to a Big Ten rival

Former five-star Wisconsin offensive tackle commits to a Big Ten rival

Former Wisconsin offensive tackle Nolan Rucci committed to Penn State earlier today. He had entered the transfer portal just two days ago, so no time was wasted in finding a new home.

Rucci was a five-star recruit in the class of 2021, ranked as the No. 17 player in the entire class, No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 1 recruit from the state of Pennsylvania. His older brother, Wisconsin tight end Hayden Rucci, recently opted out of the ReliaQuest Bowl to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft.

He commits to a Penn State program where his father, Todd Rucci, played during the 1990s. The connection was an easy one to make, as Penn State was a top contender during his high school recruitment a few years ago.

The former top recruit finished his Wisconsin career without much on-field action, though did catch the Badgers’ game-winning touchdown at Illinois.

Penn State lands big transfer commitment from former Wisconsin OL Nolan Rucci

Penn State plugs a big hole on the offensive line with the transfer decision of a former Wisconsin five-star OL.

Just hours after discussing why Penn State should be considered a leading favorite to land a commitment from the transfer portal from former Wisconsin offensive lineman [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag], Penn State has already locked down the big-time commitment. Rucci reportedly has committed to Penn State out of the transfer portal a day after it was reported he had entered the transfer portal.

Rucci confirmed his decision with a graphic posted on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account on Saturday afternoon.

The addition of Rucci should help plug some depth concerns on the offensive line following the departures to the NFL from Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace. Rucci did not get much playing time with Wisconsin and likely thought about a transfer with the news of Jack Nelson’s return for 2024. Rucci had been backing up Nelson in Madison, and Nelson’s return likely left a smaller chance to play for Rucci as a result if he stayed at Wisconsin.

Rucci’s father is a former Penn State offensive lineman, Todd Rucci, and his parents (both Penn State alums) have reportedly owned season tickets to Penn State football games. Rucci was the top-rated recruit in Pennsylvania in the Class of 2021, and Penn State was in heavy pursuit to keeping the state’s top recruit close to home before Rucci ultimately followed his brother to Wisconsin. While Penn State may have missed out on Rucci’s original commitment, the relationships built in the recruiting process may have left a positive impression for a second crack at bringing Rucci home, just as was seemingly the case for Penn State’s transfer commitment from former Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming earlier in the week.

Rucci is the second player this week from Wisconsin to commit to Penn State as a transfer. Rucci joins his former Badgers teammate and linebacker Jordan Mayer in making the move back to Pennsylvania out of the portal. Rucci is the fourth player to commit to Penn State from the transfer portal, with the previously mentioned Fleming committing to Penn State earlier this week and former Tulsa kicker Chase Meyer being the first transfer addition before that.

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Penn State could fill another need with this transfer OL from Wisconsin

Son of former Penn State player, a former five-star recruit and the top-rated player in PA, has entered the transfer portal.

Editor’s note: A few hours after this post was published, Nolan Rucci reportedly committed to Penn State. An updated story is linked below following the original post.

Penn State has already added two commitments out of the transfer portal from other Big Ten programs. Could they be in the mix to add one more? With a need to beef up the offensive line, one possible Penn State target has entered the transfer portal from Wisconsin, and there are reasons to believe Penn State could be a possible candidate to land his transfer commitment.

Offensive lineman [autotag]Nolan Rucci[/autotag], a former five-star recruit in the Class of 2021 and the top-rated recruit in Pennsylvania from that recruiting cycle, entered his name in the transfer portal. The Wisconsin Badgers lineman does so after news that the player he had been backing up in Madison, Jack Nelson, has decided to return for the 2024 season. Rucci’s older brother, Hayden Rucci, also opted out of the ReliaQuest Bowl to focus on his path to the NFL draft. With those two developments, it seems a change in scenery could do Rucci some good.

And Penn State is a destination that could make some sense.

For starters, Penn State could use some bodies on the offensive line after losing Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace to the NFL draft this year. Rucci was also heavily recruited by Penn State, and we have already seen how those relationships can pay off for the Nittany Lions years later. Penn State also recruited Julian Fleming out of high school before he eventually committed to Ohio State. But now Fleming is coming home from the transfer portal and crediting his relationships built through the recruiting process as part of the reason for his move to Happy Valley.

If Rucci has similar feelings about his relationship with the Penn State coaching staff, that could be vital to Penn State’s chances of bringing Rucci home. And it would be considered home for Rucci, of course. His father is former Penn State offensive lineman Todd Rucci, and both of his parents are Penn State alums. They also have season tickets to Penn State football games.

It’s too early to suggest Penn State is the favorite to land a transfer commitment from Penn State, but all of the ingredients appear to be there to make a strong case why Penn State would not only be interested in Rucci, but also one of the favorites in the running.

And even if it happens years later, Penn State could still claim the best in PA stay in PA in the end.

Penn State has added three players from the transfer portal, including one of Rucci’s teammates. Penn State secured a commitment from linebacker Jordan Mayer this week, just days after receiving the expected commitment from former Ohio State wide receiver Julian Fleming. Penn State has also added a transfer commitment from former Tulsa kicker Chase Meyer.

UPDATE (3:08 PM ET): Nolan Rucci has reportedly committed to Penn State from the transfer portal.

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Wisconsin former five-star offensive lineman enters the transfer portal

Wisconsin former five-star offensive lineman enters the transfer portal

Wisconsin sophomore offensive lineman Nolan Rucci has entered the transfer portal, according to reports from 247Sports’ Evan Flood and Chris Hummer.

Rucci was a five-star recruit in the class of 2021, ranked as the No. 17 player in the entire class, No. 5 offensive tackle and No. 1 recruit from the state of Pennsylvania. His older brother, tight end Hayden Rucci, recently opted out of the ReliaQuest Bowl to prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft.

The top recruit didn’t see the field much during his three years in Madison, this year appearing on the depth chart at left tackle behind multi-year starter Jack Nelson. Nelson recently announced he’d be returning for the 2024 season, which could’ve been a big domino in Rucci’s decision.

Rucci’s most memorable moment with the Badgers came at Illinois this past season when Phil Longo dialed up a creative pass play to get him the football and escape Champaign, Illinois with a win.

Wisconsin enters 2024 with Nelson at left tackle, Jake Renfro at center and several spots up for grabs along the offensive line. The former five-star recruit Rucci now will not be part of those plans.

WATCH: Wisconsin OT Nolan Rucci discusses catching game-winning TD at Illinois

WATCH: Wisconsin OT Nolan Rucci discusses catching game-winning TD at Illinois

Wisconsin found a last-minute win at Illinois in the most on-brand way possible: a leak-out touchdown to backup offensive tackle Nolan Rucci.

Rucci was a five-star recruit in the class of 2021 and somehow became the first five-star recruit to score a touchdown with the program. If you told me in 2020 that a five-star would score, I would’ve obviously guessed 30 different guys before I got to Rucci.

The young offensive lineman met up with Mark Tauscher earlier this week to discuss the moment and everything that led up to it. Here’s the Nolan Rucci-centric edition of Tausch’s Takeaways:

The win moved the Badgers to 5-2 on the season and 3-1 in Big Ten play. The team again sits atop the Big Ten West after Iowa’s 12-10 loss at Minnesota.

CHECK IT OUT: Best pics from Badgers 25-21 win over Illinois

Badgers rally for crucial win

The Badgers football team travelled to Illinois for a conference matchup on Saturday in Champaign, beating the Fighting Illini 25-21. Illinois went up 14-0 early, but Wisconsin was able to rally back.

Wisconsin had redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke under center, replacing Tanner Mordecai (hand) at quarterback. Locke was able to compile 240 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Illinois was led by their quarterback Luke Altmyer, who had 100 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the contest.

The most notable play of the game came when Locke was able to connect with backup offensive lineman Nolan Rucci for a three-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left, giving Wisconsin the 25-21 victory.

Here are some of the best pictures from the game:

Top three offensive tackles in Big Ten for 2023

No Buckeyes make the top offensive tackle list #GoBucks #B1G

The Big Ten is known for its powerful offense and great offensive lines, but I am not so sure that will be the case this year. At the offensive tackle position, there are two top-flight, elite-level possible first-round draft choices and then there are a few guys with the potential to break out.

The two top-flight prospects are numbers one and two, but the order of those players will surprise most. The third player chosen isn’t even a projected starter by most pundits but was a highly recruited kid with some serious hype.

Ohio State fans may be a little disappointed by the absence of Buckeyes, but when comparing what resides in Columbus to the rest of the conference, it makes sense.

2023 Buckeyes Wire Preseason All-Big Ten team: Offensive Linemen

We dive into our predictions for the All-Big Ten offensive line. #GoBucks #B1G

The 2023 college football season is right around the corner and the Big Ten is loaded with top-notch talent and predicting who will end up on the All-Big Ten has proven challenging. Not only was it hard to choose one player over another, but it was also hard to admit that the Michigan Wolverines have a number of studs that will potentially wreak havoc on the rest of the conference.

This list is going to dive into the offensive linemen and as expected the Big Ten has some dominant offensive linemen that make it very hard to narrow it down to just five. This list will not make Ohio State fans happy, but the reality is there is some elite talent in the trenches of the Big Ten.

In the age of the transfer portal, it is possible for a complete dark horse to rise as a frontrunner, but we will do our best to provide the most educated guess based on previous performances and situations.