Better Know a Badger: Five-Star OL Nolan Rucci
Most of Wisconsin's 2021 class -- both for the football and men's basketball programs -- will be heading to Madison shortly, though Paul Chryst's team already welcomed seven players as mid-year enrollees in January.
BadgerBlitz.com has kicked off its annual "Better Know a Badger" series, where we check in with the incoming freshmen as they begin the transition from being prep standouts to college athletes. In 2021, we include some transfers as well.
Miss some? Check out the links below: Basketball: C Chris Vogt | Football: QB Deacon Hill | CB Ricardo Hallman | WR Skyler Bell | S Hunter Wohler | ILB Bryan Sanborn |
Nolan Rucci became another younger brother to join his sibling at Wisconsin when he announced his oral commitment in September 2020. The Lititz, Pa., native -- who was upgraded to a five-star prospect and is currently the No. 17 player in the 2021 class -- received a bevy of offers from the who's who of Power Five powerhouses. He chose UW over Penn State, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Notre Dame and other schools. He made his decision to join the Badgers official during the early signing period in December.
Rucci spoke with BadgerBlitz.com on May 14 about a variety of topics as the days tick down before his arrival at Wisconsin. Questions and his answers have been edited for clarity.
First off, I saw the photos of you recently with a mullet, that style perfected by and varied by [former Badgers] Vince Biegel, Jon Dietzen, Garrett Groshek before you. What led to that decision, and how long have you had it?
NR: Honestly, it kind of started as a joke during the football season. I thought it'd be funny to have a mullet, and I just kind of rolled with it. I thought Hayden had a little bit of one over the summer, fake mullet, like a faux-mullet. So I saw that and I said, 'Hey, I might as well rock it a little bit to see how it goes,' and I just kind of been rocking it ever since, just letting it grow out. It's getting to the point of absurdity so it's funny. You get a lot of compliments on it, so it's nice.
When a mullet gets to the point of absurdity, you're doing it right.
NR: Absolutely.
How have you been preparing for your arrival in Madison, whether for training or just wrapping up school? What have you been doing to prepare before you get to Madison?
NR: Yeah, obviously, staying on top of grades has been a big thing. You know, that senioritis stuff does kick in a little bit so it's definitely a grind just to finish out always. It's a lot of hard classes, like calculus and AP government and stuff like that, and so it's making sure I stay on top of those kind of things.
But at the same time, really getting into the weight room and grinding probably like five days a week on top of conditioning on off days. And so I really just been getting, hitting the weights hard, getting in the weight room, and just making sure I'm not behind at all and hopefully ahead of the curve when I get up there in June.
Where are you sitting right now with height and weight at the moment?
NR: Still sitting pretty at 6-foot-8 and then probably around 305 [pounds] right now.
What's your target for that matter then?
NR: Honestly, I don't know. I feel at least right now, I can definitely put a lot more on my frame. I feel pretty light right now, and so obviously, the coaches up at Wisconsin have their own plan for me when I get up there, and so I guess we'll see what that is. But right now their message to me -- I have the Big 33 [Football Classic] coming up here in a week or two -- and so, they're just telling me have a ball, have fun with that, and then we'll get you up here and get you right.
How did your see your senior season go in your eyes?
NR: Honestly, it was a definitely a COVID year. It was about as great as we could have at 8-0. Finishing out the season, obviously, we had a bit of a disappointing end when our district championship final got canceled due to COVID, and we ended up having to forfeit. But we won all eight games that we ended up playing, and obviously the season was a little bit abridged due to COVID, lockdown restrictions, stuff like that. But I'm really happy the way we finished out and really proud of our senior group.
For your high school career, who is the best player you've gone against to this day?
NR: Probably, honestly, going up against Hayden in practice. Nick Coomer who's up at Delaware. I mean those guys are probably some of the best d-ends I've had to go up against in our league, and so I think having the chance to go up against them in practice, just makes those Friday nights so much easier, and that's what I'm super excited about up at Wisconsin. Just the competition that we have in practice with those guys on the other side of the ball, and really excited to get to work and start going up against those guys and make those games just a little bit easier.
When you face your brother on the football field during that, is there one epic encounter that you remember, in terms of competing against your brother?
NR: I wouldn't say so. I'd say most of the time, you know, on Friday nights we're lined up right next to each other so those are definitely things I remember. We definitely had some battles in one-on-ones, and we had some fun, but at the end of the day, I'm excited to be able to lineup right next to him sometime in the future up at Wisconsin.
What does that mean to you to have to be in the same college uniform as your brother heading into 2021?
NR: I mean there's millions of kids in the U.S. and there's very few that get that kind of opportunity to line up at the Division One college level right next to their brother on the o-line playing at such a big place like Wisconsin, and so I'm super thankful. Super excited for the opportunity and the ability to get to work and maybe have that possibility in the future.
Even with everything that's gone on with with the COVID year, and you said the abridged season, what areas do you feel you've developed further, not just during your senior year, but just in the past year in general?
NR: I think my strength. Obviously, I was getting in the weight room a lot before the season, but I took like a week or two off right after and then really just been hitting the weights ever since, and so I think I've seen a huge jump strength-wise. I think flexibility has been great too, which is big for offensive linemen in my size, definitely being able to get low, get under guys and get some leverage. And so I think building so much strength, while maintaining the ability just to get low and keeping good hip flexibility and all that kind of stuff, that's been really awesome as it developed.
You signed in December during the early signing period but were there any schools, if any, that tried to keep in contact, tried to recruit you, even after you committed until you signed on the dotted line on that National Letter of Intent?
NR: No, which honestly, I've been thankful for it because I think most of the colleges that recruited me know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am, and that when I make a commitment like that, that's forever and it's something that I'm going to live by, and I'm not really going to change up. And so I think most of the colleges that I've spoken to and got recruited by, they knew that and they respected that. I did not really talk to any other coaches or colleges afterwards. Obviously, just been focused on Wisconsin ever since.
How often have you been in contact with Wisconsin with your arrival on campus coming soon, and who are you talking with the most?
NR: Definitely Coach Rudy [associate head coach/offensive line coach Joe Rudolph], a little bit of Coach [Mickey] Turner and Coach [Paul] Chryst a little bit too. Rudy and I've been keeping good contact. I just wished him a Happy Easter last month, and just talking about a little bit about o-line stuff. Obviously, I'm learning stuff for our Big 33 game coming up in a few weeks, and so he's been definitely telling me to focus on that a little bit before I get the playbook just so I can not have so much info running through my head all at once. And so I think whenever I get that finished up with, I'll probably start to really dig in and get after the offensive line book and really start to get my game under my belt.
Now that you're signed, and obviously you've been committed before National Signing Day, just how is that relationship with Coach Rudolph grown as you approach a month out from heading to Madison?
NR: It's definitely tightened a lot, and Coach Rudy's really special to me, just because that's probably one of the first coaches I've ever had a pretty good relationship with. I think ever since back in probably eighth grade when Hayden was on the recruiting trail, and I got a chance to speak to Coach Rudy in person, just kind of sit down with him for a little bit. Ever since, we've probably had a pretty tight relationship, and so it's been growing over the past few months, and I can't wait for it to grow more when I get up there and suit up for Wisconsin.
Have you discussed further how they want to use you at what position? Are you going to be out on the edge, or how are they talking about potentially where you could line up on line?
NR: Coach Rudy's talked about probably mostly keeping me at tackle. He's not really specified whether that'd be left or right yet. Obviously, there's a lot of dudes in the lineup, and it's definitely gonna be a battle when I get up there. And so that's one of the things I'm looking forward to is iron sharpening iron when I get up there, and really just getting after it in practice and work my way into that offensive line room.
Talking about practice, what has Hayden told you about those practices, the college life, and more as you're on that doorstep of being a college student-athlete?
NR: I mean it's definitely not easy. You know, it's not high school practice. You know, it's 110% every single rep, every single play, whether you're in the weight room or you're out in the practice field. And it's definitely a grind especially during spring ball as he's been telling me the past few days about that recent experience.
But you know what, I think it's all worth it for those Saturday nights and just being up on campus and everything that comes with it. Listening to him talking about how much he loves the University of Wisconsin, and I've been up there and I can see why. I just can't wait to have that experience. Get my head in the game and really just get after it in practice. I'm super excited.
Have you had a chance to talk to any of the midyear enrollees and what they've told you about their experiences in their first semester at UW?
NR: Yeah, we have a big group chat with all the guys in our class, and so yeah, they've definitely had some stories from this winter and spring ball and all the lifting and stuff. And yeah, it's a grind, but hey, that's everywhere you go, and they're loving it right now from what they said. So I'm super excited just to join that process with those guys and learn from them a little bit, too, because obviously they've been up there for a little bit so I'm excited.
So just making sure, what is the official move-in date for you again? And then are you rooming with anybody from the class of 2021?
NR: So we'll finish up school, we graduate the seventh [of June], and then we'll fly out the the 11th. Then I think classes start on the 14th that week, and I'll be actually rooming with JP Benzschawel, so I'm excited about that.
Are there any players in particular, I'm sure you're excited to see all your fellow 2021 signees on the field, but is there one that stands out to you that you're excited to watch on the field?
NR: I'd love to see Hayden. He talks a lot about how good he is at practice. I'd love to see it for myself.
What do you feel you can bring to Wisconsin's offense and Coach Rudolph's line?
NR: You know, I'm super excited to just bring that same kind of worker mentality. I know those guys in there, there's some hard working dudes, some guys who just get after it every single day in practice, and so I'm super excited just to carry on that tradition. Get in the weight room, and I'm not expecting anything when I get up there, but I'm really excited to work my way into that offensive line room and hopefully have some success and work my way into that lineup.
When you get there to Madison, what are some of the areas that you see yourself improving in and what are your goals for your freshman year?
NR: I'd say definitely learning the playbook. That's a big hump to get over, I know talking to Hayden a little bit. I think definitely working on my flexibility, my upper-body strength a little bit and I think my run blocking. I think technique-wise, there's a lot I have to learn transitioning from high school to college, and I think a lot of the game, I think becomes a little bit more complicated, but honestly not in a crazy way. I think it's just a lot more detail-oriented, and I think just getting those details down and getting them down packed, it's going to be a big hump to get over, and I'm excited to start that process.