First, to get you the link to the article that includes a comment from Jace about why he committed:
https://n.rivals.com/news/qb-jace-ruder-decides-for-unc
Second, I apologize for not being johnny-on-the-spot here. I was texting with Jace earlier this afternoon, but just about when we could connect for a full recap of his visits. He did not tell me then he had committed. Then, when he did announce his commitment I was at the gym. So, total fail on my part and I apologize.
Third, this is a dynamite grab for UNC. I loved this kid on junior film and we started him off just about as high as we could in the rankings for a kid we had never seen in-person who plays in rural Kansas. Last week, however, we were able to get a first-hand view of Ruder and will re-evaluate his rating when we next update in August (expect positive movement there). In the article above I compared him to Trubisky, and even though we obviously rated Trubisky too low, there are still few things about his game I would rate higher at the same stage than Ruder. Leadership/gamer/winner would probably be the one thing, but not because Ruder does not have those. We just don't know to what degree he has those, unlike Trubisky who played in talent-rich northeast Ohio and faced D1 competition and won a ton of ball games in HS. But, when you look at fundamentals (arm mechanics, footwork, etc.) Ruder is well ahead of Trubisky at the same stage. Arm strength and effectiveness as a runner I would give to Ruder as well. Size is pretty similar - both have/had great size for the position. At the end of the day, although I'm sure you're taking it with a grain of salt considering we had Trubisky as a three-star, I still would have rated Ruder higher and feel he has just as much upside. This is a big grab.
https://n.rivals.com/news/qb-jace-ruder-decides-for-unc
Second, I apologize for not being johnny-on-the-spot here. I was texting with Jace earlier this afternoon, but just about when we could connect for a full recap of his visits. He did not tell me then he had committed. Then, when he did announce his commitment I was at the gym. So, total fail on my part and I apologize.
Third, this is a dynamite grab for UNC. I loved this kid on junior film and we started him off just about as high as we could in the rankings for a kid we had never seen in-person who plays in rural Kansas. Last week, however, we were able to get a first-hand view of Ruder and will re-evaluate his rating when we next update in August (expect positive movement there). In the article above I compared him to Trubisky, and even though we obviously rated Trubisky too low, there are still few things about his game I would rate higher at the same stage than Ruder. Leadership/gamer/winner would probably be the one thing, but not because Ruder does not have those. We just don't know to what degree he has those, unlike Trubisky who played in talent-rich northeast Ohio and faced D1 competition and won a ton of ball games in HS. But, when you look at fundamentals (arm mechanics, footwork, etc.) Ruder is well ahead of Trubisky at the same stage. Arm strength and effectiveness as a runner I would give to Ruder as well. Size is pretty similar - both have/had great size for the position. At the end of the day, although I'm sure you're taking it with a grain of salt considering we had Trubisky as a three-star, I still would have rated Ruder higher and feel he has just as much upside. This is a big grab.
