Ruckert aiming to be Ohio State's top tight end

SAN ANTONIO - Ohio State's No. 2 ranked recruiting class has plenty of gems in it, but looking back on how everything came together, Rivals100 tight end Jeremy Ruckert was right at the top of the list of big 'gets' for the Buckeyes in 2018. the 6-foot-6, 235-pound prospect was the wire-to-wire top target at the position for Ohio State in the 2018 cycle.

Head coach Urban Meyer even called Ruckert perhaps the best tight end prospect he has recruited, high praise from a man who doesn't often praise young players.

"That means a lot especially coming from (Meyer)," Ruckert told BuckeyeGrove.com this week. "For how long he has been in the game and how many people he has probably seen and the weight his name carries, it means a lot to me. It also puts a lot of pressure on me but I like the pressure. It is going to make me want to work even harder than I already am to prove to everyone that he was right. I want to be the best tight end in Ohio State history."

Ruckert is getting a head start on his development by challenging himself this week at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl against some of the nation's best high school football players. Ruckert is already finding a nice role within the East offense, where he is being moved around the formation to create mismatches.

"I was playing a lot being attached the (line) and also in the backfield but now they are also starting to put me out wide at X," Ruckert explained. "They are giving me an opportunity to run different routes and flex me out and I'm really just trying to make the most out of this opportunity and be as versatile as I can against the best competition."

Ruckert received a big welcome from his future teammate Tyreke Johnson at Monday's practice. Going over the middle, Johnson delivered a big shoulder to Ruckert's chest, perhaps the biggest hit of the practice week.

"I still caught it," Ruckert was quick to point out. "It was a good hit. It woke me up and got me going for the rest of the week. If I would have dropped it, I would have been mad."

Not only was Ruckert a top priority for Ohio State, but his recruitment was one of the quieter ones. In a growing environment of uncertainty where commitments are shaky and committed prospects are taking all of their visits anyway, Ruckert handled his situation the old-fashioned way.

"The way I was brought up with my family and my support system is that once you commit to something, you don't walk away from it," he said. "I wanted to be respectful to the team. They spent a lot of time and effort recruiting me and once I gave them my word that I was coming, I didn't want to mix anything up. It was a long process, I had been getting recruited since I was 14 years old, and once I knew where I was going I wasn't going to switch it up."

If there was even a tinge of doubt in Ruckert, his official visit would have erased it. Watching the young Ohio State quarterbacks during bowl prep got the Rivals100 tight end excited about his future in Columbus.

"At practice, when I was on my official visit, Dwayne (Haskins) can sling it," Ruckert said. "He has a cannon. Tate Martell also brings really great versatility to the position. He can either run or throw for a touchdown and defenses can't really plan for it. Dwayne Haskins can really sling it, so if you want a pro-style offense where the quarterback can drop back and throw it around he can really do that, but he can also make some plays with his legs as we saw against The Team Up North. We're excited for this year. It's going to be a great competition and like all competition it's going to be bring the best out."

So safe to say that Ruckert is very comfortable with the Ohio State quarterback position, regardless of how the competition shakes out?

"Definitely," he said. "It's Ohio State so you're going to get the best of the best at every position. That's one of the main reasons that I wanted to go there was because of the competition inside the individual position rooms and the coaches challenging you to be the best that you can be."

Ruckert will report to Ohio State in the summer.