Penn State football tackle Nolan Rucci declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, he announced on Thursday evening. Rucci played two seasons with the Nittany Lions and started 18 games.

Rucci spent three years at Wisconsin before transferring to Penn State in January of 2024. The Lititz, Pennsylvania, native was a five-star recruit in the class of 2021 and was the No. 1 player in Pennsylvania and the No. 5 tackle in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite rankings.

After arriving in Happy Valley for his junior year, Rucci appeared in all 16 of Penn State’s games and started six of them, earning All-Big Ten Academic Honors. As a senior, Rucci secured a starting job, anchoring the right tackle position for all 12 games in 2025.

About the Author

Cadyn Gill

Cadyn is a fourth-year broadcast journalism major at Penn State. Hailing from the great state of Texas, he is a die hard Dallas sports fan. You'll often see him voicing his opinions on music and sports on X/Twitter @cgill214. Contact him at cag6339@psu.edu.

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