Ohio State Buckeyes: Ruckert ready to lead youngsters, expand his game at tight end

The senior-to-be from Lindenhurst, N.Y., also feels he has more to contribute to the program than he has so far.

“I think the main factor was just that I knew I had more to give,” said Ruckert, who caught 13 passes for 151 yards and five touchdowns last season, including one grab for 36 yards in the National Championship Game loss to Alabama.

“I wanted to just give everything I had, and I feel like I didn’t want to just leave on that note. I had opportunities past this, but I definitely wanted to just make the most of it here and let everybody know that I got more to give this place and I’m going to do everything I can for this year.”

Ruckert came to Ohio State with high expectations.

He was the No. 2-ranked tight end in the nation and 37th ranked prospect in the country according to 247Sports Composite rankings.

“Early in my career, I really needed to put weight on and learn to block really well and get really physical,” he said. “And now that we’re kind of there, I’m just trying to enhance all different aspects and make the little things the bigger things.”

That means becoming a bigger threat in the passing game by expanding the number of routes he can run effectively and learning little things about how to get open.

Whether or not that translates to more actual production remains to be seen. There is only one ball, and this year it will be handled primarily by a freshman quarterback who has a deep receiving corps to work with.

Ruckert, who has caught 28 passes for 306 yards and nine touchdowns in his Ohio State career, is not worried about what his numbers might be this fall.

“If I want more catches to come my way, then I need to put my work in during the offseason to try and enhance that part of my game,” he said.

“I’m just going to try and do anything I can to try and help this team win, and this year if that means putting myself in a bigger role, then I’m definitely excited about that and I’m willing to do anything they ask. But we also have a lot of young guys stepping up and really proving themselves and they are developing still.”

Ruckert is the most familiar face for fans, but the tight end room has a handful of potential contributors who bring different things to the table.

Corey Rau, who transferred to Ohio State from SMU last year before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, said his strength lies in a traditional role as a blocker on the line of scrimmage.

Meanwhile, walk-on Mitch Rossi described himself as more of a fullback — at least that’s what he would call himself if Ohio State’s offense truly had one of those anymore.

Tight ends coach Kevin Wilson has described him as an H-back who can line up off the ball on the wing or even come out of the backfield.

“I would like to be a fullback,” Rossi said. “I think that’s a good fit for the job description for me. I think the thing we value the most, more than catches or touchdowns, is knock-down blocks. That’s the thing that we like, the stat that we like to keep track of the most. So anytime we can put somebody on their back, move somebody, a grown man, like that’s really what we enjoy. That’s what we pride ourselves on.”

The three seniors — Ruckert, Rau and Rossi — are working together with Wilson to bring along a trio of youngsters who hope to be able to contribute down the road, if not sooner.

Sophomore Cade Stover is in his second season as a tight end after spending his true freshman season on defense.

Ohio’s Mr. Football for 2019, the Mansfield Lexington High School graduate said he picked up the physical part of playing tight end (blocking) quickly but is still learning the finer points of pass catching.

At the other end of the spectrum is Joe Royer. A redshirt freshman from Cincinnati Elder, Royer said he is used more as a complementary tight end at this point who is more of a threat in the passing game.

Then there is Sam Hart, a true freshman from Aurora, Col., who just arrived this winter.

“Those guys have been working really hard, getting with Coach Wilson,” Rossi said. “(This is a) big-time development position, so in the offseason they are trying to work on everything — body position, hands, feet — to get ready to help us out next year.”