2024 Football Roster
Roster
Ralph Rucker IV
- Position:
- Quarterback
- Height:
- 6-0
- Weight:
- 210
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Lucas, Texas
- High School:
- Lovejoy
Career: 2024 Preseason All-Patriot League Third Team ... 2024 Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year ... 2024 All-Patriot League First Team ... 2024 Walter Payton Award Finalist ... 2024 Bison Gridiron Club Award: Most Valuable Player ... six-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week (10/30/23, 9/23/24, 11/4/24, 11/11/24, 11/18/24, 11/18/25) … Bucknell's all-time leader in passing touchdowns (46) ... single-season record holder for passing yards (2,826), completions (244), completion percentage (.672), total offense (2,922) and passing touchdowns (25) … Bucknell single-game record holder for passing yards (457) ... second all-time with 5,363 passing yards.
2024 (Senior): Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year ... All-Patriot League First Team ... Bison Gridiron Award: Most Valuable Player ... recipient of Keating-Rieu Award: The Outstanding Player in the Colgate Game ... five-time PL Offensive Player of the Week, collecting the honor in each of the final four weeks ... Walter Payton Award finalist ... threw for 25 touchdowns, becoming the single-season leader ... broke his own record for single-season passing yards (2,826) and single-game passing yards (457) ... became Bucknell's all-time leader with 46 career passing touchdowns ... record holder for highest single-season completion percentage (.672) and most completions in a single season (244) ... started 11 games, missing one game with an injury ... led the Patriot League in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and passing efficiency, as he finished the year with 25 TD passes and only seven interceptions ... added four rushing touchdowns ... threw for three touchdowns in five games ... had at least 75 percent completion percentage in four games ... threw for 340 yards on 75.7% CMP and three touchdowns in win over VMI ... was 21-for-27 and three touchdowns in win over Marist ... had a 76.5% CMP against Penn ... rushed for two touchdowns and threw for one in win over Lafayette ... threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns in win over Fordham ... was 34-of-43 (79.1%) with five touchdowns against Holy Cross ... was 31-of-45 for 457 yards and five touchdowns in win over Colgate ... combined for 1,130 yards and 13 touchdowns over final three games of the season.
2023 (Junior): One-time Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week (10/30) … played in and started 10 games at quarterback … set Bucknell single-season records in passing yards (2,537) and completions (211) and tied the program’s single-season passing touchdowns record (21) … also set the program record for total yards in a season (2667) … completed 62 percent of his 340 passes while throwing just five interceptions … added 130 rush yards and one rushing touchdown … ranked second in the Patriot League in passing yards and touchdowns … eclipsed 300 passing yards in back-to-back games at Colgate and Fordham, becoming just the second Bison to do so … threw for three or more touchdowns five times … in the win at Colgate, broke the program’s single-game passing yards record with 387, threw four touchdown passes to tie for second in program history, and completed 33 passes, which tied for third … followed Colgate performance with 358 passing yards and two touchdowns at Fordham the next week, completing 32 of his 48 attempts … in season finale at Marist, completed 23 of 28 passes (82%) for 273 yards and three touchdowns … totaled 1,314 passing yards and 12 touchdowns over final four weeks of season … Big Blue Award recipient as Bucknell’s outstanding back or receiver … Keating-Rieu Memorial Award winner for outstanding player in the Colgate game.
2021 (Freshman): Walk-on at the University of Oklahoma … lone action came against Western Carolina (9/11) … completed both pass attempts for total of 20 yards (long of 12).
Lovejoy High School: Threw for 3,417 yards and 47 touchdowns to just three interceptions as a senior in leading the Leopards to an undefeated 2020 regular season and state quarterfinals appearance … also ran for 1,044 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior en route to District 7-5A MVP honors … directed offense to at least 30 points in each game his senior season (45 or more points 11 times) … passed for 1,515 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for nearly 700 yards and a score as a junior … also lettered in baseball and wrestling.
