Lincoln City (In.) Heritage Hills 2026 tight end Tyler Ruxer had never been to West Virginia prior to his stop in town for a spring practice.
And now he is already planning a return stop.
Ruxer, 6-foot-4, 220-pounds, was invited by the coaching staff to see what the program was all about and the trip definitely left its mark.
“It definitely exceeded my expectations. I loved the culture, the town and the coaches. Everything just felt like home,” he said.
And as if the experience already didn’t impress, Ruxer received news from head coach Rich Rodriguez that he was receiving a scholarship offer in a meeting in his office.
“It was an awesome experience and it felt really reassuring and genuine, and getting to talk to Coach Rodriguez one-on-one,” he said.
West Virginia is recruiting Ruxer as a tight end and the coaching staff believes that he is a hybrid that is a threat not only with his blocking in the run game and his ability to catch the ball in the passing game in their high tempo offense. And he was able to see that firsthand in practice.
“I really got to see that in practice with the way they use tight ends as a big weapon,” he said.
On top of meeting Rodriguez, Ruxer also was able to spend time with plenty of other coaches on the staff, including position coach Michael Nysewander. It also allowed him to see how he coaches.
“I like the way he plans to utilize me in their offense,” he said.
Ruxer plans to return to West Virginia for an official visit in the near future and is already looking forward to it while he also is planning stops to check out Wisconsin, Michigan, Purdue, Cincinnati, Louisville, Duke, Pittsburgh and a number of others.
The 2026 prospect wants to eventually settle into a school that has a great winning culture and is going to make him a better player and person. He also wants to find a good education and find a place where he can best fit in with his skills as a tight end.
“West Virginia fits all those boxes for me and will play a big part in my recruitment,” he said.
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