Noah Ruggles will make his grandfather’s dream come true when he kicks in Ohio Stadium for the first time on Saturday.
Ruggles’ grandfather Homer Hilty, who was an Ohio State season ticket holder and lived in Wintersville, Ohio, before his death in 2015, had hoped to see his grandson play for the Buckeyes one day. Ruggles, who grew up in Odessa, Florida, wasn’t offered by Ohio State out of high school and ended up starting his college career at North Carolina in 2017.
Four years later, however, Ruggles is now wearing the scarlet and gray as Ohio State’s new starting kicker.
Even when Ruggles entered the transfer portal in December, that opportunity didn’t come right away. He didn’t enter the portal with visions of ending up at Ohio State or any other specific school. But when Ohio State special teams coordinator Parker Fleming reached out to him in mid-April, which ultimately led to an offer to become a Buckeye after he worked out at Ohio State in June, he felt like destiny had come calling.
“My grandfather, he had season tickets to Ohio State and he always used to want me to come play here out of high school, and the opportunity never came up,” Ruggles said. “And I think it’s pretty crazy that last minute, this turned up out of nowhere. So I just think that’s God.”
Ruggles, who grew up playing soccer for most of his childhood before deciding to play football for his final two years of high school, was ranked as the 18th-best kicker in the recruiting class of 2017 and became North Carolina’s starting kicker in 2019, when he made 19 of 27 field goal attempts.
After the Tar Heels brought in Furman graduate transfer Grayson Atkins to be their new kicker in 2020, however, Ruggles decided to go the graduate transfer route himself and finish his college career elsewhere.
“Things didn’t go my way for whatever reason, and I knew I deserved better,” Ruggles said Wednesday while meeting with reporters at Ohio State for the first time.
Initially, Ruggles’ only scholarship offers once he entered the transfer portal came from smaller schools, but he stayed patient. Once he received his offer from Ohio State in early June, however, Ruggles committed just days later, calling his decision to become a Buckeye “a no-brainer.”
“I knew there was something better out there for me, and I just trusted God’s plan and ended up getting a great opportunity,” said Ruggles, who still has two years of collegiate eligibility.
Thank you God. To those of you who never stopped believing in me, thank you. I am blessed beyond belief. With that being said, I have accepted a scholarship offer and am committed to THE Ohio State University #LetsWork #GoBuckeyes pic.twitter.com/U6dP9dgfoV
— Noah Ruggles (@noahruggles) June 9, 2021
While Ohio State gave Ruggles the opportunity he coveted to kick for another top program, the Buckeyes didn’t make any promises to him when he committed. He had to compete for the kicking job throughout preseason camp with redshirt freshman Jake Seibert. Ruggles was confident in his ability to win the job, so he made the move to Columbus without any guarantee of playing time.
“I had to keep my confidence throughout the whole process,” Ruggles said. “And I didn’t really worry about the other guy, I tried to focus on myself. I think that’s been big for me is just don’t worry about the competition, just do you and don’t try to change anything. Just stick to what you believe in.”
Both Fleming and Ryan Day said during the preseason that the most important thing they were looking for at kicker was consistency, and Ruggles believes he demonstrated that throughout camp. He said Wednesday that he has missed only one field goal in practice since he arrived at Ohio State.
Ruggles, whose longest made field goal at North Carolina was a 49-yarder, says he has made field goals as long as 52 yards in practice and feels comfortable kicking field goals as long as 57 yards. Because Ohio State typically leans toward pooch punts over attempting long field goals, though, Day and Fleming have stressed that the most important job for their kicker is to be able to consistently make short-range field goals.
“You have to make them up front before going back to distance and having the coaches trust you from there,” Ruggles said. “We’ve had some kicks back to 52 yards in practice and I’ve made those, and I don’t have any problem kicking inside 57 yards, but obviously you’ve gotta make those up-close ones.”
BACK TO BACK 60 YARD FIELD GOALS. BOTH WAYS When you strike a ball this clean, it gets through the wind. #Automatic pic.twitter.com/q1EADI4tLR
— Noah Ruggles (@noahruggles) April 29, 2021
Ruggles did make those kicks in Ohio State’s season opener at Minnesota, where he converted his lone field goal attempt from 35 yards out and all six of his extra point attempts. And although it was his first time kicking for the Buckeyes, he said he didn’t feel nervous about getting the job done.
“Throughout this past year, I’ve really come to trust God, and I don’t really get nervous anymore,” Ruggles said. “I trust that everything happens for a reason, and whatever happens, happens. I accept that, and I trust my preparation, and that’s where my confidence comes from.”
That’s not to say he didn’t recognize the magnitude of being the new kicker for one of college football’s top programs, though.
“On the way to the game, I felt it; during the game, halftime and especially finishing up the game with the win, it definitely hit me that this is all real,” said Ruggles, who wasn’t told he had beat out Seibert until just a couple of days before the game. “It’s unbelievable. I’m just really blessed.
“I love the family atmosphere here. And I really like this team. I think we’re gonna do great things this year.”
Ruggles has never been to a game at Ohio Stadium before – though he did get a customized hat with an Ohio State logo on it during a childhood trip to the mall with his grandfather – so he’s excited to experience the atmosphere of the Shoe for the first time on Saturday. Both of his parents will be in attendance as the Buckeyes host Oregon in their first home game of the season.
He doesn’t want to allow himself to get too caught up in the environment, however, because he knows how important it is to stay consistent.
“I’ve learned a lot throughout my career from every failure I’ve made, and I think just from that, you hold yourself to a higher standard,” Ruggles said. “You can’t have bad days. Especially as a leader, you have to come in and do your job every day, and that’s one thing I really focus on.”
