Many people thought Nolan Rucci would come to Penn State long before he did.
Rucci, a 6-foot-8 OL who was a five-star OT coming out of Warwick High School in Lititz, played guard at Wisconsin but only ended up playing in five games over three seasons.
Along with the obvious connection of being from Pennsylvania, Rucci comes from a Penn State family.
His father, Todd, played at PSU for Joe Paterno in the late 1980s and early 1990s before playing seven NFL seasons for the Patriots, being selected to the franchise’s all-decade team.
Both of Rucci’s parents graduated from Penn State and are season ticket holders, and that, along with Rucci’s talent, had a lot of people wanting Rucci to pick PSU.
“There was always a lot of outside pressure to go to Penn State,” Rucci told the Centre Daily Times after he committed to Wisconsin.“But at the end of the day, when you’re making your decision, it is the most selfish decision you can make. And so you’ve really gotta be thinking about what you want, not what everybody else in your community or your family wants.”
This winter, Rucci transferred to Penn State and now is the man many expect to be the team’sstarting righttackle. He’sthe latest subject of All 105, a Nittany Sports Now series profiling each Penn State player.
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 317 pounds
Hometown: Lititz, Pennslyvania
Before Penn State
Wisconsin
2023: Nolan Rucci played in three games, coming off the bench. He did catch a game-winning touchdown pass against Illinois.
🏈 THICC 6 ALERT! Nolan Rucci with the game-winning BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN for @BadgerFootball ! What a clutch play to secure the victory! @nolanrucci #OnWisconsin
pic.twitter.com/wrolQEL2OU— Big Man Scores (@BigManScores) October 22, 2023
2022: Nolan Rucci also played in three games.
2021: Rucci redshirted his freshman season.
High school: Rucci came to Wisconsin after a standout career at Warwick High School. As a senior, he was invited to the All-American Bowl and was also named to the all-state team, as he was the year prior. A five-star recruit, Rucci picked Wisconsin over PSU and many others.
Where he stands: Right tackle, along with left tackle, left guard and center, are positions without a definitive starter for Penn State. Per coach James Franklin, Rucci’s currently “in a battle” with promising second-year player Anthony Donkoh. Rucci has two years of experience on Donkoh, which makes it seem like he’s the favorite. But we’ll find out for sure soon enough.
A quote by Rucci:“I think a really good thing that Coach Traut (offensive line coach Phil Trautwein) did was (tell me to) work my way up from the bottom of the roster and pay respects to those guys that have been in the room,” Rucci said.“Because I know how I would feel if there was someone who came in and automatically started over me. So I think being able to work from the bottom and get those reps, get the time in the film room and getting with the guys has been a really great learning opportunity for me.“— Rucci to reporters this spring via Tyler Donohue of Lions247.
A quote about Rucci:“He’s competing for a starting job right now, he is happy and healthy. It’s been very clear to me that Nolan is thriving right now. When you talk to our strength coaches, he’s thriving. When you talk to his parents, he’s thriving. I thought that he did enough this spring to give himself a ton of confidence and also give us a ton of confidence as a coaching staff, that he’s got a chance to play for us and play at a high level.” — Franklin on Rucci at Big Ten Media Days in Indianapolis this July.
