MARVELOUS
The Arizona Cardinals select Marvin Harrison Jr. with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.
Noah Ruggles made his first public comments since the end of his Ohio State career on Saturday.
In a video he posted on Instagram, Ruggles expressed gratitude to his Ohio State teammates and coaches, his family and Ohio State fans for their support and talked about how he is moving forward after the disappointing end to his Buckeye career, which came when he missed a 50-yard field goal in the final seconds of Ohio State’s one-point loss to Georgia in the Peach Bowl.
“If there is one thing I’ve learned from my journey, it is no matter how dark life seems at times, moments of adversity have provided me an opportunity for unimagined growth, humility and appreciation,” Ruggles said. “I am grateful to my teammates and coaches who have inspired me through their own trials; to my family who has sacrificed, loved and supported me; to all the people behind the scenes who serve others selflessly; to the media who tell the stories of failures and comebacks that inspire us; and to the true fans of The Ohio State University who are the backbone of this great football program.
“From my very first kick as a Buckeye to my very last, I put my faith in God, praying to give him all the glory. Though I may not see what he is going to do next, I have learned to trust him with all of it. I’m a Buckeye for life.”
Ruggles confirmed in his written post accompanying the video that he is planning to pursue an NFL career now that his collegiate career is over.
While Ruggles’ Ohio State career ended in heartbreaking fashion, he missed only four total field goals over the course of his two years as a Buckeye, finishing his OSU career with the best field goal percentage (90.2%, 37-of-41) in school history after transferring to Ohio State from North Carolina in 2021.
Ohio State special teams coordinator Parker Fleming said earlier this week that he had no regrets about having Ruggles attempt that field goal at the end of the Peach Bowl, believing it was a kick Ruggles was capable of making.
“He's been a really good player for us. He's been unflappable. That’s who he was,” Fleming said. “He made a 48-yarder maybe five minutes before that, and it (the 50-yarder) didn't go in. It's one of those things where he'd love to have it back, but he doesn't get it, and there's no one else I'd rather have in that spot and that moment. I trusted him fully.”
Fleming said he has been in frequent communication with Ruggles since then but that Ruggles has done a good job of keeping his head up despite not getting the storybook ending he wanted.
“Noah’s a tough dude. I didn't have to make sure his spirits were up, they were,” Fleming said. “I talked to him immediately after the kick. I talked to him in the locker room later. My wife and I saw him right after that. It was one of those, you can't prepare for that. Until you do it and you go through it, it’s really tough. But we talked the days and the weeks (after that), I talked to him yesterday. It's one of those things, he's in a good place. But it was hard.”
