In the world of college football recruiting, springtime is arguably the most vital visit period of the year. It offers prospects the opportunity to take in practices, mingle with players, and get extended time coaches at multiple institutions all in the span of a few weeks. That’s exactly what Lititz (Pa.) Warwick five-star offensive tackle Nolan Rucci had planned on doing before the global corona-virus pandemic shut down intercollegiate athletics. Dealing now with a modified recruiting schedule will have its challenges, but there isn’t a prospect better equipped to meet them than Rucci. The reason? An unbelievable support system.

Rucci has the luxury of belonging to a family in which all the other members have already been through the recruiting process. Big brother Hayden Rucci is a freshman tight end at Wisconsin. Mom Stacy was a division-one field hockey player at Penn State before moving into coaching at Stanford and Duke. Dad Todd was a standout offensive lineman at Penn State before being drafted in the second round of the 1993 draft by the New England Patriots. He went on to play eight seasons for the Pats, a tenure which included an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI. All that experience has helped shape the recruiting journey that Nolan is on now.

“I think Stacy and I are just trying to get him to experience as much as possible,” Todd Rucci said. “Try to protect him as much as possible so that this doesn’t get too stressful, too out of hand, or become burdensome where it’s a distraction for him. We learned a lot about the process with Hayden. Fortunately for Nolan he was the little bother in eighth and ninth grade that went on 23-24 visits with his older brother. So, he got to see what (the recruiting process) looks like, what it feels like, what the coaches are talking about, and watch Hayden kind of find his home… and be thrilled (with that decision). He sees how excited Hayden is with his spot. Now our goal is just to make sure that Nolan finds his spot.”

To ensure that happens, mom and dad have impressed upon Nolan the importance of having his decision be based on much more than his lifelong affinity for their alma mater.

“We’re Penn Staters,” Mr. Rucci said proudly. “My wife and I are Penn Staters. We went there for our own reasons, and we loved it. But no one in our family went to Penn State prior to us. And what we’re trying to convey to our kids is you need to find your spot where you feel that you fit in. So (with) Nolan we’re just excited to watch his path and try and point him in a direction where he can flourish and become the best Nolan Rucci he can be.”