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TE Jeremy Ruckert (New York Jets)

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Ruckert did have a choice to make after last season on whether he was going to enter the NFL Draft. The tight end did get some positive feedback, which would make it extremely tempting to move on to the professional ranks. Instead, Ruckert decided he wanted one last season in Columbus. Expect Ruckert to make the most of it.
 
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Last season was another major step forward in that evolution for Ruckert as an all-around weapon. And his decision to come back for a senior campaign sets the stage for him to stake another claim as the best in the country at tight end.

“If the ball comes my way, I’ll do everything I can to make the play,” Ruckert said. “But if it doesn’t, I’ll do whatever I can to help my team.

“Whatever my assignment is, I’ll do it as hard as I can and as long as I can.”

Far more often than not, Ruckert is still being asked to block more than use his dynamic ball skills and athleticism as a threat in the passing game — although he did rack up five touchdowns in just eight games a year ago for the Big Ten champions. But the versatility to do both is what allow him to be one of the most important cogs in the Ohio State machine, and his return might just be one of the most critical roster moves the program made in the offseason.

Jeremy Ruckert is on his way to becoming arguably the nation’s best tight end. Right on schedule.
 
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When Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert announced last month that he was returning for his senior season, he not only provided the Buckeyes with another talented offensive option, but he also kept the 2021 tight end room from being completely gutted.

The Buckeyes said goodbye to fifth-year tight ends Luke Farrell and Jake Hausmann after the 2020 season, and had they also had to bid adieu to Ruckert, it would have left the Buckeyes with almost no experience at the position.

Instead, Ohio State now has an exclamation point at a position that could have been a huge question mark.






Ruckert caught 13 passes for 151 yards and five touchdowns last season in eight games. Over the course of a full season, he would have far exceeded his 14 catches for 142 yards and four touchdowns from 2019.

Coming back now as a senior and with nobody established like Luke Farrell to split time with, this could be a very big season for the Buckeye tight end.

“Ruck coming back is really important,” head coach Ryan Day said. “I think his best football is ahead of him. With a whole offseason and all those things, he can really make plays for us and be a weapon.”
 
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“One of the reasons he came back was to take his game to even a better level,” offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson said on 97.1 last month. “He's become a much better blocker, and really solid there. He's made some plays in the pass game. We can do a better job of helping him and even being a better route-runner and featuring, getting the ball to him a little bit more than we have. Hopefully that transpires. Time will tell with that.”
 
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With all of the talent on the offense and with Munford back at LT...

THIS is the guy that’s the icing on the cake to me. Everything else the Buckeyes have can get them to the playoff. They showed against Clemson that a great tight end can be the difference in the playoff.

ok... ok... the tight ends were the difference between beating Clemson and beating Clemson’s ass, but they were still the difference
 
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“I knew I had more to give,” Ruckert said Wednesday in his first interview session since announcing his return. “I had opportunities past this, but I definitely wanted to just make the most of it here and let everybody know that I’ve got more to give this place.”
 
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“I think the main factor was just that I knew I had more to give,” he said this spring of his decision to return.

“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 to this place and I’m just doing everything I can for this year.”
 
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