Rucci was born on January 27, 2001, the son of former NFL player Todd Rucci.[1] His grandfather, Tom Gilburg, also played in the NFL.[2] He grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and attended Warwick High School in Lititz, where he played football.[3] A tight end, he was known for his blocking ability and also had 19 receptions for 376 yards and three touchdowns as a junior, while posting 30 catches for 645 yards and eight scores as a senior.[4] In both years, he was named first-team All-Lancaster-Lebanon League.[5] Rucci helped Warwick to the Section One championship as a senior and was selected to the Big 33 all-star game, which his father had also played in.[6] He finished his stint at Warwick with 58 receptions for 1,129 yards and 12 touchdowns.[7] A four-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Wisconsin Badgers.[5]
College career
At Wisconsin, Rucci played alongside his brother Nolan, an offensive lineman.[2] He redshirted as a true freshman at Wisconsin in 2019, then appeared in six games during the 2020 season.[8] He played in six games again during the 2021 season, being limited by a foot injury.[9] He became a starter during the 2022 season, starting eight of 10 games while posting six receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown, which was scored in the 2022 Guaranteed Rate Bowl.[8] In his last year, 2023, he led the team's tight ends with 11 receptions for 125 yards.[2] Although he had an extra year of eligibility remaining, he opted to enter the NFL draft, finishing his stint at Wisconsin with 17 catches for 200 yards and a touchdown.[10]
After going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft, Rucci signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent.[2] In preseason, he led the team with seven catches for 57 yards, scoring a touchdown in the third preseason game.[13] He was waived on August 27, 2024, then re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[14] He was released on October 23, re-signed to the practice squad on November 13, and released again on December 24, before signing a reserve/future contract after the season, on January 9, 2025.[1] He was waived on August 26, 2025, then re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[1] Rucci was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons and made his NFL debut in the game, posting a tackle.[15][16]
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