For Bishop Watterson senior Ryan Rudzinski, versatility is the name of the game

Rudzinski has shown his versatility all over the football field this season, as well as playing multiple sports

Aaron Blankenship | Oct 28, 2022

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ryan Rudzinski initially was a bit apprehensive when Bishop Watterson’s coaches asked him to switch from playing quarterback to wide receiver a lot more often this season. After all. the Watterson senior primarily has been a quarterback since he first began playing tackle football eight years ago, and he’s had very little formal training or experience as a receiver.

But instead of resisting the request or complaining about the change in position, Rudzinski put the needs of his team first, and embraced his new role. As a result, Rudzinski has emerged as the Eagles’ most diverse weapon this season, as he’s made a huge impact not only as both a quarterback and a wide receiver, but in all three phases of the game, while leading his squad to a 9-1 overall record and Central Catholic League championship.

“To be honest, I was very skeptical when our offensive coaches told me they wanted to see me a lot more at wide receiver this year, because it was super weird to change from playing the position I’d played my whole life,” said Rudzinski, whose squad finished 3-0 in the CCL. “It was a character test for sure, because some people were saying I was getting benched (at quarterback) in the middle of games. But

I’ve always been taught to do what’s best for my team and not just myself, and I’m the one laughing now, because I’m playing several different positions to help our team win more games this year.”

Rudzinski started at quarterback in all 10 of Watterson’s regular season games and he led the Eagles to touchdowns on 21 of his 37 drives as their quarterback.

The 6-foot-4, 190-pound senior completed 38 of 60 passes for 349 yards, with seven touchdowns and only one interception. He also rushed for 334 yards and five touchdowns on 42 attempts.

However, during Watterson’s last six regular season contests, junior A.J. McAninch began taking the reins at quarterback earlier in games, with Rudzinski moving to wide receiver.

That move paid dividends for the Eagles, whose wide receiver corps has been thinned by injuries this season, as Rudzinski has quickly emerged as their No. 1 target, making 24 catches for 394 yards with five touchdowns.

“Ryan’s continued to play well at quarterback this season and having him play both roles this well has given our offense a big boost, because having to prepare for two quarterbacks is every defensive coordinator’s nightmare,” said sixth-year Watterson coach Brian Kennedy. “Ryan and A.J. have been supportive of each other, and to Ryan’s credit, he’s helping A.J. out by catching anything that’s thrown anywhere close to him.

“Ryan’s a dude. He doesn’t spend any time doing wide receiver drills in practice, but he’s a phenomenal receiver. Teams have to double-team Ryan, which is opening up our other guys to make plays, too.”

Rudzinski has made an equally big impact on Watterson’s defense, while starting at free safety this season.

The team captain has made 46 tackles, broken up five passes, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and tied Watterson’s single-season team record by making nine interceptions.

“Ryan’s the most athletic kid on the field and he covers an unbelievable amount of ground to get his interceptions,” Kennedy said. “When we’re watching film, sometimes he’s not even on screen, and we’ll see him glide from one end of the field to the other to make plays.

“He could have actually broken our school record by making his 10th interception in (Watterson’s 17-13 CCL title-clinching win at Hartley on Oct. 21). But he batted the ball down because it was fourth down, and that was the better play for his team because of field position. That just shows how unselfish Ryan is and how high of a football IQ he has.”

Rudzinski also has made a significant impact on special teams this season, blocking two field goals, blocking an extra point and returning a kickoff 67 yards.

The versatile athlete - who has been clocked at 4.62 seconds in the 40-yard dash – recently even has become the Eagles’ punter, averaging 35 yards on seven attempts, with three of his punts being downed inside of opponents’ 20-yard line.

“It’s amazing what he’s done on special teams,” Kennedy said. “He blocked a field goal at Granville that made a huge difference (in Watterson’s 25-24 win on Sept. 30). He also returned a kickoff 67 yards and had a 60-yard punt that really flipped the field against Hartley. Ryan’s been punting rugby-style for us, and he has the green light to run for a first down if he sees an opening. He’s absolutely exceeded expectations in so many ways.”

Rudzinski’s versatility was on full display in Watterson’s 42-0 victory over St. Charles in a CCL contest on Sept. 23, when he threw two touchdown passes, had a touchdown catch, ran for a score, had two interceptions and stripped the ball out of an opponent’s arms.

“If you would have told me I would be playing all these positions to help my team win games a year ago, I would have thought you were crazy,” Rudzinski said. “This has been a crazy year, and I’m having the time of my life playing high school football with my friends at Watterson one last time.”

Rudzinski learned how to play football and developed his team-first mentality under the tutelage of his father, Jerry.

Jerry Rudzinski was a standout quarterback and safety at Kettering Alter before graduating in 1994 and playing four seasons as a linebacker at the Ohio State University. Jerry served as a team captain during his senior season for the Buckeyes in 1998, during which he racked up 50 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, four sacks and an interception.

“My dad’s my best friend and the best coach I ever had,” Ryan said. “He developed me as a football player and an all-around athlete by teaching me a lot of life lessons that have helped me out in team sports a lot.

“Ever since I was little, my dad has always played catch with me, pitched me baseballs and played basketball one-on-one with me in our driveway. He would throw and punt footballs to me and have me dive to the right and left to catch balls in the basement, and that’s where I developed my hands to play wide receiver.”

Jerry said Ryan developed his passion for football and other sports at a very young age.

“My love of sports had a big impact on him,” said Jerry, who serves as Watterson’s linebackers coach. “In preschool, Ryan could name all of the Big Ten teams and their mascots. By second grade, he knew all of the Major League baseball teams and their starting infields.

“I think that he’s always had a high football IQ and a unique intelligence on the football field. While playing quarterback in fourth grade, when we’d have a lead, Ryan would go to the official and ask them to count down the play clock when it got to 10 seconds, so he could bleed the clock and win the game.”

Marcia Rudzinski, who qualified for the finals of the 100-meter hurdles in the Division I state track and field meet as a senior at Kettering Alter in 1993, has played an almost-equally big role in Ryan’s development into a three-sport star athlete. Ryan also is a starting shortstop on Watterson’s varsity baseball team and is the starting power forward on the Eagles’ varsity boys basketball squad.

“A lot of people don’t know this, but I actually got my speed from my mom and not my dad,” Ryan said. “I’m the oldest of six children in my family, and my mom’s a superhero in that she’s been able to get all of us to our practices and sporting events for so many years.

“I’m a firm believer in playing multiple sports instead of just specializing in one, because it makes you more diverse athletically. The skills I’ve learned in each sport has helped me get better in the other sports I compete in.”

Ryan - who carries a 3.8 cumulative grade point average - tries to conduct himself with class while playing sports, to serve as a good role model for his younger siblings.

Each of Ryan’s younger sisters - Marie (lacrosse), Ellen (soccer), Audrey (soccer) and Allie (gymnastics) - are competitive athletes, and his 8-year-old brother Kyle is following in his footsteps by playing football, baseball and basketball.

“We’re a tight-knit family and I love them all,” Ryan said. “We spend lots of time together at family dinners and vacations, and we all support each other. It’s special to look in the stands and see my family at games.”

In honor of his grandfather, Jim Rudzinski, Ryan writes the number 313 on both of his wrists before each game. Jim grew up in Detroit, before playing football at the University of Dayton.

“My grandfather’s my hero,” Ryan said. “He’s a special person and one of the hardest workers I know. He played football at Dayton to get out of the rough Detroit life, and he’s been a great father to my dad and taught him a lot of the same lessons that my dad’s taught me. I write 313 on my wrists, because that’s the area code in Detroit that he grew up in, and that way I’m always thinking about him and have him with me when I’m on the football field.

“The way I see it, if he can make it out of Detroit and become such a great dad, then I can go out there and make some plays on the football field for him.”

Ironically, Ryan’s selfless act of playing more as a wide receiver and free safety as a senior could pay dividends in his quest to play Division I college football.

Ryan was being only lightly recruited by Division II college coaches as a quarterback, after he passed for 1,318 yards and eight touchdowns and ran for 328 yards and six scores during his junior season for the Eagles, who finished 5-6 overall a year ago.

Yet, he’s beginning to turn a lot more heads with his stellar play as a safety, receiver and punter.

“Ryan had very mild interest from Division II schools as a quarterback, but he’s definitely a Division I college football player at a different position,” Kennedy said. “He’s just scratched the surface of what he’s capable of doing, and I believe his phone will be ringing off the hook by the end of this season.”

Jerry agrees that his son has the mental and physical attributes needed to play Division I college football.

Regardless of where he goes to college, Ryan said he’s considering following in his father’s footsteps by majoring in finance. Jerry has enjoyed a highly successful career in sales management while working for Stryker Corporation since 2000.

“Ryan’s a late bloomer, and if he does something at the next level, he will be finally doing it for 12 months of the year for the first time, so he has potential for a lot of continued growth,” Jerry said. “Some athletes only want to play quarterback or a certain position, but the fact that Ryan’s willing to play anywhere should be an advantage for him.

“Ryan’s had a heck of an athletic career and he check the boxes in terms of athleticism, work ethic and hand-eye coordination. But one of his top qualities that you can’t teach is he has length at 6-foot-4.

“He’s also shown that he’s passionate about the name in the front of his jersey, because winning is more important than any personal goals. Ryan’s a great son, big brother and teammate. He knows what good coaching looks like, and that will help him in college and when he gets into the business world.”