MIKE GROSS | Sports WriterSTATE COLLEGE — On Jan. 1, Nolan Rucci was playing left tackle for Wisconsin in the Badgers’ 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
On Jan. 8, he was sitting in classes at Penn State.
It’s been a fast transition from entering the transfer portal to diving in at Happy Valley but a comfortable one.
“I felt nothing but love from these guys,” Rucci, a Warwick High graduate, said after Penn State’s ninth spring practice session Tuesday. “Especially just coming in, those first few weeks. I had a lot to figure out, as far as where I was going to live, where I was driving, stuff like that. But the guys have been awesome.”
Nolan Rucci, now 6-8, 315 pounds, was perhaps the highest-ranked recruit in the history of both Wisconsin’s program and the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He was the No. 1 ranked player in Pennsylvania and No. 17 in the country in the 2021 recruiting cycle, according to 247 Sports.
His dozens of scholarship offers included ones from Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Clemson, LSU, et al.
“When I was going through the recruiting process,” he said Tuesday, “it kind of came down to here and Wisconsin. At that time, there were a few more things on the list of pros (for Wisconsin).”
Rucci’s brother Hayden was one of the pros. A fifth-year senior tight end for the Badgers in 2023, he announced before the bowl game he was passing up a sixth college year (due to COVID) to pursue the NFL.
At the time, Penn State coach James Franklin implied that not offering Hayden a scholarship three years earlier was a factor in not getting Nolan.
“We’ve also had the other end of the spectrum, where we don’t offer an (older) brother, and that hurts us getting the younger,” Franklin said in December 2020 on National Signing Day for the 2021 cycle.
Still, there’s a lot of Penn State in the family. Rucci’s father, Todd, played for the Nittany Lions before spending eight seasons with the New England Patriots. His mother, Stacy, played field hockey at PSU.
Franklin said Tuesday that Todd and Stacy have been at many of the spring sessions. Nolan said he and his dad went over practice film together the last time he was in Lititz.
“I know my parents have appreciated having a two-hour drive versus a 14,’’ Nolan said. “I know they love and appreciate this place.”
The prospect of becoming an elite college and, eventually, pro player is still out there. Other than in the bowl, Nolan hasn’t played much in his three college seasons, one of them a redshirt year. He did catch a pass for the winning touchdown on a tackle-eligible play in Wisconsin’s 25-21 victory over Illinois last Oct. 21.
Despite Wisconsin’s reputation for developing offensive linemen, Nolan said he believes Penn State and O-line coach Phil Trautwein can help him realize his pro dreams.
“I love the coaching style (Trautwein) uses,” Rucci said. “I love that he’s a huge technician.
“In the run game, just my second step coming off the ball needs to be a little quicker. In pass pro, making sure I get my head back, pretending like I don’t have a helmet on and really delivering the force.”
Rucci has gained 15 pounds since arriving in State College. He said he hopes to be at 320 by the time the season begins.
Penn State must replace both of last season’s starting tackles. The likely favorite to start at one spot, junior Drew Shelton, is missing spring ball after undergoing surgery in January.
For now, the contenders are likely senior JB Nelson, redshirt freshmen Anthony Donkoh and J’ven Williams (of Wyomissing High School and the Lancaster-Lebanon League) and Rucci.
“In terms of athleticism and body type, intelligence, he checks a lot of boxes,” Franklin said of Rucci. “I think he enjoys the culture, the competitiveness of how we operate. So far, so good.
“I think we’ll have a really competitive battle at both left tackle and right tackle in training camp, and we expect him to be a good part of that.”
