4-star TE Jeremy Ruckert signs with Ohio State in Early Signing Period

When four-star rated tight end Jeremy Ruckert received his scholarship offer from Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer in May of 2016, the New York native shared the following with Land-Grant Holy Land.

“We were on the phone for a while and had a great conversation about football and my family and he ended the conversation by saying I have an offer to play football at the Ohio State University. It felt so surreal and it was an honor to get it from him.”

Well over a year later, the 6’5, 240-pound U.S. Army All-American can now be considered an Ohio State student athlete after inking his national letter of intent with the Buckeyes during the early signing period.

Verbally committed to the Buckeyes since July, the wait is finally over for Ruckert and the Ohio State coaching staff.

With numerous tight ends returning to the program in the fall such as Rashod Berry, Luke Farrell, and Jake Hausmann, Ruckert will add another quality option for the Buckeyes, who look to replace longtime starter Marcus Baugh.

A big time athlete with soft hands, Ruckert, the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of New York, proved he can make things happen on both sides of the ball as a senior for Lindenhurst High School.

Leading the Bulldogs to an undefeated 12-0 season and a state championship, Ruckert, the top overall tight end, and 29th overall prospect in the entire class of 2018, per the 247Sports Composite Rankings, accounted for nearly 1,100 receiving yards, and 13 touchdowns, while also securing 61 tackles and 13 sacks as a senior.

Scouting Report

As blue chip prospects go, Jeremy Ruckert had somewhat flown under the radar up until late-June in his recruitment. He holds 30 offers from some of the nation’s elite programs, but it wasn’t until Nike’s The Opening event two weeks ago that the recruiting world was truly introduced to Jeremy Ruckert. Ruckert put on a show, both in drills and in 7-on-7 for team Alpha Menace. He was named 1st team offense following the conclusion of The Opening, along with fellow Buckeye commit Jaelen Gill. Catches like this one are a big cause for Ruckert gaining his fifth star in the newest 247sports player rankings.

Ruckert’s newfound attention has been well-deserved for a while. He’s been the top tight end in the 2018 class for months now, and it’s great to see him finally getting recognized. He’s the complete package as a tight end, and plays a very similar game to former four-time NFL pro-bowler and all-pro Jeremy Shockey. He has the athleticism of a wide receiver, despite his larger frame (6’6, 240 lbs), and is a matchup nightmare for corners and linebackers alike. He plays almost exclusively as a wide receiver for his high school, and is the first tight end recruit we’ve seen under Urban Meyer that could truly play the “Jordan Reed position” we saw him deploy at Florida.

Because of his time spent at receiver in high school, his need for development in his blocking skills could keep him off the field as a freshman (similarly to what we saw with Binjimin Victor or Austin Mack last season), but his strength and athleticism will likely make for an easy transition at the next level, especially with Kevin Wilson leading his development. Ohio State hasn’t seen this athletically gifted of a tight end since Dr. John Frank, who was arguably the best tight end in Buckeye history.

-Patrick Mayhorn

Highlights