Nolan Rucci, Son of former NFL guard Todd Rucci and brother of current Badger Hayden Rucci, has announced his commitment to Wisconsin.
Rucci is a 6’8”, 295-pound offensive tackle from Warwick High School in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Rucci is a five-star recruit who ranks fifth among offensive tackles in the country’s 2021 class, according to 247 sports.
Not only is Rucci the top player in Pennsylvania, but he also ranks as the No. 14 overall prospect in the class of 2021. He is only the fifth five-star to commit to Wisconsin since 2000, and just the second five-star to commit to the Badgers, along with 2019 offensive tackle Logan Brown.
Rucci picked Wisconsin over an impressive list of blue blood programs that included Clemson, Michigan, Notre Dame and Penn State. Needless to say, Rucci’s commitment is huge for the future of Badger football.
As you can tell by his size, Rucci is a monster of a man. But, his athleticism and the fluidity of his footwork are skills that make him stand out. Along with his nimble movements, Rucci is incredibly physical at the line of scrimmage and shows the nastiness that Head Coach Paul Chryst’s program seeks out of an offensive lineman.
When Rucci arrives at Wisconsin, the assumption is that he will redshirt his freshman year. After a year under his belt, Rucci could jump into a starting role as a redshirt freshman in the 2022 season. Nevertheless, all signs point to Rucci becoming the next spectacular lineman to come out of Wisconsin.
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In his commitment, Rucci mentioned that he was impressed by the recent success of former Badger offensive linemen. Rucci is excited to begin working with offensive line coach Joe Rudolph and elaborated on some of the incredible work that Rudolph has done since taking over the role in 2015.
With the reputation for being a pipeline for elite offensive line talent, Rucci seems to be the next in line of the superstar offensive lineman that UW has produced.
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With his announcement, the Badgers have shot up to 16th nationally and third in the Big Ten in 247’s 2021 recruiting class rankings.
