Football Recruiting: OSU lands safety transfer Trey Rucker

Oklahoma State bolstered its secondary with the commitment of former Wake Forest safety Trey Rucker.

Rucker was a true sophomore last season and will have three years of eligibility left. Rucker had a fantastic year as a freshman in 2019, recording 65 tackles, one interception, and one pass defended. The 6-foot-1 safety appeared in just five of Wake Forest’s nine games in 2020 while dealing with a foot injury. Rucker was listed among the best options for defensive backs in the transfer portal by 247sports.

Kolby Harvell-Peel announced earlier this month he’s returning to Stillwater despite previously declaring for the NFL draft. Rucker joins a secondary that returns everyone other than cornerback Rodarius Williams next season.

It is somewhat difficult to know who might be departing next season because eligibility did not count last season due to COVID-19. This will likely be Harvell-Peel’s final season and the same could be possible for Tre Sterling and Tanner McCalister.

The Fairfax, Virginia, native will likely sit out next season — unless he is able to get a waiver from the NCAA — because he is not a graduate transfer. Rucker will have two years of eligibility left starting in 2022. If those three are not back, Rucker joins Jason Taylor II, Sean Michael Flanagan, and Thomas Harper among safeties on the depth chart for 2022. Oklahoma State added three safeties in the class of 2021 as well.