Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1516624
5 4 M A R C H 2 0 2 4 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / T R A N S F E R S / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / When Tulsa kicker Chase Meyer went into the transfer portal in Decem- ber, he quickly heard from a familiar voice. Stacy Collins, Penn State's spe- cial teams coordinator at the time, was on the other end of the line offering an opportunity to join the Nittany Lions as a walk-on for the coming season. Following a visit to campus, Meyer decided to take him up on the offer. The two had known each other since the California kicker was in high school. Collins had been working at Utah State, then Boise State while Meyer was attending Mater Dei near Los Angeles. For a while, it looked as though they were finally going to get to work to- gether. But Collins returned to Boise State in January and was replaced by Vanderbilt's Justin Lustig. Still, the opportunity that drew Meyer to PSU is still there. The junior specialist is going to compete this off- season for the job vacated by Alex Fel- kins. Meyer will battle redshirt junior Sander Sahaydak and redshirt fresh- man walk-on Ryan Barker in the spring. "I'm looking to come in and com- pete right away. They have two guys on their roster right now, but I'm look- ing to come in and win the job right away," Meyer said. "I think this is going to be big for me. This is going to be my first full offseason. So, I'm adding the muscle, adding the speed, adding the power. I've already talked about it with the Penn State strength staff. That's something that I really want to focus on to bring my game to the next level." Meyer hit 17 of 20 field goal attempts for Tulsa last year after winning the job in preseason camp. His long kick was a 47-yarder against Tulane. He also kicked a 37-yard game-winner against East Carolina with less than three min- utes remaining in the Golden Hurri- canes' season finale. With redshirt junior kickoff special- ist Gabe Nwosu back next year as well, Meyer believes he can focus on the strongest aspect of his game. "I think I'm a pure field goal guy," he said. "And I think they're bringing me in because I'm a real accurate guy, and that's something that I can bring to the table. I would say 55 and in, I'm money." — Sean Fitz Penn State picked up a familiar name when it landed offensive tackle Nolan Rucci. A native of Lititz, Pa., Rucci was not only considered a five-star prospect coming out of Warwick High in 2021, but he's also the son of Todd and Stacy Rucci, both of whom have deep ties to Penn State. Todd played for the Nittany Lions in the early 1990s before spending seven years in the NFL with the New England Patriots, including a Super Bowl appear- ance in 1997. Stacy was a field hockey All-American in 1991. Coming out of high school, the younger Rucci seriously considered the Nittany Lions, visiting five times in 2018 and '19. However, his older brother Hayden was already enrolled at Wiscon- sin, and the Badgers ultimately won out, with Rucci committing in September 2020. Following a redshirt season in 2021, Rucci played sparingly the next two years, backing up a few older players with NFL potential. He totaled 70 snaps at offensive tackle as a redshirt fresh- man and sophomore, including 35 snaps in Wisconsin's 35-31 loss to LSU in the ReliaQuest Bowl on Jan. 1. Although the snaps were limited, Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 76.2 in 2023 and 89.0 in 2022. Since arriving at Penn State, Rucci has been working to get acclimated. He's started out at right tackle, where the Li- ons are looking to replace Caedan Wal- lace, a 13-game starter last year. As coach James Franklin noted, Rucci made a posi- tive impression during winter workouts. "He got here, and I think he was 299 pounds. He's 305 right now," Franklin said. "He's still skinny, because he's all of 6-8. Being 6-8 isn't always a positive thing for offensive linemen if you can't bend. He can bend. He's got tremendous athleticism." Rucci will be a redshirt junior this fall, and with two remaining years of eligibil- ity remaining, his future appears bright. "I think for us as coaches, we knew very well what he was capable of, but there wasn't a whole lot of evidence of it at Wisconsin," Franklin said. "They stayed very healthy and didn't rotate players the way we have, so his play- ing in that bowl game was important for both sides. He's done a nice job. … I think there's a lot of excitement with the coaching staff and the strength staff." — Ryan Snyder Offensive Tackle Nolan Rucci Already Showing Promise Chase Meyer Eager To Compete For Lions' Placekicking Job THE RUCCI FILE ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪ OT | R-Jr. 6-8 | 305 Wisconsin Warwick High Lititz, Pa. THE MEYER FILE K | Jr. 5-10 | 180 Tulsa Mater Dei High Los Angeles, Calif.