Analysis: Four Star Rucker Gives Vols Another Versatile DB
The Tennessee Volunteers have been on an absolute recruiting tear, and that continues as the Vols land another Florida defensive back. Jeremy Pruitt and the Vols will have several defensive backs graduating as seniors at the end of the 2020 season, with more having a real chance to potentially leave early for the NFL. Defensive back, and especially corner, is an area that Tennessee needs to replenish the depth they are losing in 2020. Derrick Ansley and Jeremy Pruitt are two of the best developers of defensive backs in the nation, and that has to make the Vols feel confident about their chances to add quality players in their secondary. In Amos P. Godby High School (Talahassee, FL) defensive back De'Shawn Rucker, the Vols get a commitment from one of the fastest rising players in the 2021 class.
Rucker is currently rated as a four-star corner prospect, and is still soaring up boards. The 5’11” and 180-pound defender has offers from over twenty schools, seemingly adding a new one every day of late. That comes from the versatility and potential that college teams see in the rangy defender. Rucker primarily plays safety for his high school, and it is easy to see why his coaches would want him there. Rucker is a smooth athlete with good speed that allows him to cover serious ground. He reads plays well and reacts at the safety position, his speed allowing him to wait until late in a play to commit to a location, but still arrive on time. It isn't really make-up speed, as Rucker waits and forces quarterbacks to commit while he can still react to the ball, but when he does make a mistake or get bear, he has the speed to recover from it. Rucker, though a little under-sized for a safety, plays the position well. His speed means he can get to any receiver, anywhere on the field, and there his ball skills come into play. Whether lurking as a safety, waiting to use his acceleration to close on a ball and intercept it, or high pointing a ball while running in phase with a receiver, Rucker shows outstanding ball skills. He is excellent at getting his hands on a ball to knock it down or break up a pass, but he goes the extra step at safety to secure the ball and create turnovers. The opportunity to allow Rucker to play centerfield and create turnovers in the passing game are a key in evaluating him as a safety. Another part of his safety evaluation is his tackling. While Rucker thrives on the free safety role, roaming the defensive secondary as a ball hawk, he is a solid run defender. The same speed that lets him reach all over the field to defend the pass allows him to come up in run support. Rucker is a solid, form tackling safety. While he shows the ability to use a jarring hit to separate a receiver from a ball, on run plays, he tends toward a surer wrap-up tackle. Rucker understands his role at safety well, finding a way to get a ball carrier on the ground to prevent a big play or score.
The other part of Tucker’s game that makes him so coveted is that he can potentially play at corner as well at the next level. An argument can be made that Rucker impacts the game more at safety where he creates more turnovers and more directly contributes to run defense, but there is a case for playing him on the edge as well. Rucker's speed means that he can run with almost any receiver that lines up across from him. He can handle elite receivers in man coverage, something that allows defensive coordinators to build a game plan differently. Rucker is able to flip his hips quickly to turn and run with receivers, and he can change direction without surrendering position or losing a step. At 5’11” with long arms, Rucker is difficult for opposing quarterbacks to throw over. If they try, his technique to stay in position and phase with receivers means that his ball skills come into play. Rucker also does an excellent job of playing through receivers to knock balls down without interfering with them. He processes situations quickly, mindful of down and distance, and comes around receivers on film to knock balls down without drawing a flag. Combine those coverage skills with a solid, technically sound tackler, and you are left with the ingredients required for a shutdown corner.
Pruitt and Ansley have signed several defensive backs that are versatile players, able to go all over the secondary. Many have tended toward the safety side, but team need may tip Rucker to being projected as a corner first. Whichever position he plays, Rucker provides the Vols with a quality defensive back that can help in multiple areas across the secondary. Rucker also represents the Vols going down into Florida and pulling another defensive back this class and another talented athlete in general that Florida, Florida State, and Miami all also wanted. Rucker is a fast-rising prospect, with offers from Clemson, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Miami, and Oklahoma to name a few. As much as landing a talent like Rucker helps the Tennessee defense, winning these head-to-head recruiting battles helps Tennessee's national recruiting profile as well.