Oklahoma State Safety Earns Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week
One of Oklahoma State’s defensive stars earned the Cowboys; first weekly award of 2024.
On Monday, the Big 12 announced that OSU safety Trey Rucker won Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against South Dakota State on Saturday. OSU’s defense was swarming in the team’s season opener, holding the back-to-back FCS champions to 20 points, getting one takeaway and forcing four turnovers on downs.
Rucker was the star for the Cowboys defensively, leading OSU in tackles with 15, including nine solo tackles. Although the Cowboys’ defense allowed a few big plays, Rucker was instrumental in keeping the Jackrabbits from turning short gains into explosive plays.
With an impressive debut in his sixth season of college football, Rucker is one of the many returning starters on defensive coordinator Bryan Nardo’s unit. With other players moving around and switching positions, having Rucker’s reliability at safety is massive as OSU grows this season.
Last season, Rucker earned Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in OSU’s regular-season finale against BYU. His forced fumble and recovery in the second overtime sealed a win and punched OSU’s ticket to the Big 12 Championship.
In 2023, Rucker was one of seven OSU defenders to start all 14 games and was key in the team’s turnaround. He had 100 total tackles, finishing third behind Nick Martin and Kendal Daniels.
As the Cowboys’ defense looks to improve going into next week’s game against Arkansas, expect Rucker to make some noise in a clash against an SEC foe. OSU coach Mike Gundy has seen him develop throughout his time in Stillwater, and his love for the game has helped him become one of the most important players for the Cowboys.
“Trey loves to play football, and he always has,” Gundy said. “He’s reckless and will totally disregard his body to play the game, which is what you have to do to be competitive at this level. He just likes football. Trey’s a guy who would play forever if you let him.”
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IVAN WHITE
Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.