Nolan Rucci: A Game Changer on the Offensive Line

Nolan Rucci (6-8, 266) is an offensive tackle with an amazing physical advantage over his competition. The five-star prospect is ranked as the 14th best player and the third best offensive tackle in the nation, per 247Sports Composite.

Nolan Rucci (6-8, 266) is an offensive tackle with an amazing physical advantage over his competition. The five-star prospect is ranked as the 14th best player and the third-best offensive tackle in the nation, per 247Sports Composite. 

He has offers from Clemson, Notre Dame, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Alabama. He has taken unofficial visits to Penn State, Clemson, Ohio State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Villanova. He has taken seven total unofficial visits to Penn State over the last three years.

Rucci is easily the biggest guy on the field on Friday nights. As with many elite offensive linemen, he also plays both sides of the ball as a defensive end. However, the top schools are exclusively looking at him for an offensive tackle. He is familiar with playing on both the left and right sides of the line as well as blocking for field goals on special teams. He is used as the lead blocker in the majority of run plays and has the quickness for counter and misdirection plays.

If the Tigers are going to pull an upset in recruiting, this would be the one that could allow Clemson’s offensive line class to be considered elite. Penn State (father Todd played for the Nittany Lions), Wisconsin (brother Hayden currently plays tight end for the Badgers), and Notre Dame (unofficial and official visits coming up in March and April) will likely be the competition.

Why Clemson Has a Shot: The Tigers are still an elite program; few, if any, program matches what Clemson does with official visits. If the Tigers get Rucci on campus for an official visit, Clemson will be in the hunt for Rucci’s services. Still, this should be considered an uphill climb.

The Film Does Not Lie:It’s blatantly obvious why Rucci’s talent, to date, earned offers from numerous prominent programs. Just sit back and enjoy Rucci’s Hudl video:

http://www.hudl.com/video/3/8090376/5d86923166554b01c06e1589