Earlier this month Urban Meyer and his wife Shelley were headed out to celebrate their wedding anniversary when the Ohio State head coach’s phone rang.
Incoming call from Jeremy Ruckert.
Meyer doesn’t miss calls like these, even on his anniversary.
“He was in the car with his wife on speaker and I told him I was committing,” Ruckert replayed. 247Sports ranks the Lindenhurst (NY) High standout as a five-star recruit, the nation’s No. 1 tight end and No. 11 prospect overall. “I was with my family, and they both shouted, and we were all excited.
“He said it was the best anniversary present he’s had.” (NICE SLAP IN THE FACE TO MRS. MEYER.)
Buckeyes nation was finally able to share in the celebration Monday afternoon.
That’s when Ruckert finally went public with his decision to play at Ohio State, choosing the Big Ten power over his other finalists Michigan, Notre Dame and Wisconsin.
The Buckeyes staff put in a lot of effort to land the 6-foot-5 1/2, 233-pound Ruckert who has been Meyer’s top tight end target for the last two seasons. Meyer built relationships with Ruckert, his family and even his girlfriend.
“I hope to make an early impact when I’m there,” Ruckert said. “They don’t have a ton of depth at the position. Coach Meyer told me when he started recruiting me he wasn’t going to take a 2017 tight end and I was the only one he was recruiting in 2018. He said it was going to be me so I’m going to do my best to make an impact early and go from there.”
Ruckert is the total package at the tight end position. A playmaking receiver that can line up all over the field, Ruckert is also a fierce blocker that relishes the dirty work at the point of attack. It’s hard to imagine him not being a day one contributor.
With Ruckert in the fold, Ohio State passes Miami for the nation’s No. 1 recruiting class per 247Sports. Commit No. 15, Ruckert is the 11th to rank inside the Top100 per the 247Sports Composite.
“Everything about it,” Ruckert said of what sealed the deal. “Their fanbase is one of the best in the country. I’m excited to get to know them even more. I’ll be at Friday Night Lights (this coming weekend). I’m excited to rep the Scarlet and Gray.
“Everybody has been saying how they don’t need a tight end or how they don’t use them or they don’t put up numbers. That wasn’t what I was looking at when I narrowed things down. No matter where you go if you’re good enough they’ll get you the ball. The thing that put them ahead for myself is I felt at home when I was there. Home is one of the most important things that motivates me and whenever I stepped foot in Columbus I really got that feeling of being home. I was always comfortable there.”
