INDIANAPOLIS –– So common is the criticism of tight end usage –– or lack thereof –– in the Ohio State passing game that at Big Ten Media Days on Friday, Buckeye defensive end Zach Harrison joined a media scrum to jokingly ask head coach Ryan Day if he would consider moving Jeremy Ruckert to left tackle.
That’s because, as Harrison quipped, “all he does is block.”
“We all know that Jeremy Ruckert is only here because Chris Olave couldn’t make it,” Harrison said in jest. “So I was wondering if you could give us some insight into how you were gonna get Jeremy involved in the offense this season?”
It may have been asked tongue-in-cheek, but the question stands as a legitimate one, and Day’s answer –– while jovial –– did give Ruckert advocates a reason to get excited about the Lindenhurst, New York, native’s senior season.
“I just met with former tight end, No. 88, Ben Hartsock. Apparently, and I didn’t know this, he’s the leading receiver in Ohio State history at tight end with 30 catches,” Day said. “So I left that and said, ‘That record has no chance this year.’ So we got to make sure we get Jeremy at least 31 receptions.”
Day’s response may be a positive indicator that Ruckert has a real shot to top Hartsock’s 2003 reception total in 2021, which was actually 33, but Ruckert’s career quantity of catches still has yet to hit the 30 mark.
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The pandemic limited his totals in 2020, but Ruckert caught 13 passes for 151 yards and five touchdowns as a junior and hauled in 14 receptions for 142 yards and four touchdowns the year prior.
But even with minuscule numbers in comparison to the likes of 2020 Mackey Award winner Kyle Pitts, Ruckert’s pass-catching ability jumps off the field when he does get his opportunities, and he would likely have been selected in this past NFL Draft had he decided to make the jump.
Instead though, Ruckert returned to Columbus, and not before discussing his targets with the Ohio State coaching staff.
“That's what the talks were about, me coming back. It's not only on coach Day, it's on me, it's on the quarterbacks,” Ruckert said Friday. “I got to do my part, and I trust the quarterbacks, I trust coach Day. Whatever happens happens. I'm willing to do anything I can, whether it's catch one pass or catch 60 passes, to go back to where we were last year.”
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Ruckert said his return had a lot to do with reaching team goals, but that in order to play his part in achieving them, he is utilizing all the resources at his disposal to create and follow a plan for personal betterment.
“Coach Day’s talked about it, I'm kind of in a free agent year where it's my last year. I gotta do whatever I can for not only the team but for myself,” Ruckert said. “So I talked to a nutritionist to change my diet around, I leaned out a little bit, worked with the strength staff, I got a lot stronger. I'm really just focusing on being able to maximize this last year because it goes fast, and I don't want to look back at it and regret anything.”
The obstacles in Ruckert’s way of a record-setting receptions total in 2021 are mostly out of his control, though.
He’ll have a first-time starter passing him the ball at quarterback, and with potential first-round picks in Olave and Garrett Wilson on the outside at wide receiver –– not to mention a war chest of top prospects populating Brian Hartline’s position room after that –– their will be no shortage of mouths to feed.
Whether the ball does or doesn’t find its way into his hands with more frequency in 2021, Ruckert is preparing for more of a starring role in the offense nonetheless.
“If it's what's best for the team is me getting more catches, then I'm totally 100 percent for it,” Ruckert said. “But that's what I've been working towards. That's what I hope happens.”
