Ruiz picked up his second D-II offer from Minot St. this month after picking up his first from Minnesota Duluth back in April. The Shadow Ridge standout is one of the most underrated playmakers in Nevada’s 2027 class and showed his versatility rushing for nearly 1,000 yards and 10 TDs last season. He’s an instinctive safety in the secondary with solid physical tools and ball skills. Ruiz is one of the top DBs in the state coming into his senior season.

Ruiz offers a strong combination of size and athleticism at the defensive back position. He showed fluid movement skills and the ability to stay in phase with receivers downfield. His length helps him contest passes and disrupt timing routes. Continued development in technique could make him a standout in the secondary.

Ruiz was one of Vegas’ most productive two-way players last season racking up 900+ rushing yards and 14 total TDs on offense and 25 tackles and 2 INTs on defense. He’s a versatile athlete that projects as a future safety at the next level with the physicality and playmaking in coverage he brings to the defense. He can fill the box like a linebacker with his ability to make stops around the LOS, is a disciplined defender in zone coverage, and is quick to react downhill as a flat defender. Ruiz ranks as a top-25 overall prospect in PRZ NV’s 2027 rankings.

At 6’1” 175 lbs. Ruiz is a natural football player with a high IQ and a versatile skillset that allows him to impact the game in multiple ways. At OLB, he plays with high level instincts and anticipation, showing the ability to diagnose plays quickly and trigger to the ball with speed. Whether he’s filling aggressively against the run, dropping into coverage, or coming off the edge as a pass rusher, he stays disciplined with his eyes and patient with his to move efficiently before triggering to the ball. Strong open field tackler that can break down and wrap up to be reliable in one on one situations. In coverage, he’s got good reactionary quickness to break on the ball and make a play at the catch point. His feel for the game and positional flexibility make him a valuable defensive piece with upside at multiple spots.

Ruiz jumped from the watchlist to the official 2027 rankings in the latest update after putting together a productive season in the Shadow Ridge secondary totaling 66 tackles, 2 INTs, and 4 TFLs in 2024. Active tackler from his SS spot that can fill the box in run support and make rangy plays in coverage. Attacks aggresively downhill to close space and plays more physical than his 5’11″/160 frame suggests. Highly instinctive zone defender showing great anticipation and route recognition at the second and third levels. Ruiz is one of the top S prospects in his class at this early stage of the 2027 cycle.

Ruiz is a new addition to Prep Redzone’s latest 2027 NV watchlist. He was a standout DB for Shadow Ridge’s JV squad last year and has continued to show his playmaking ability this offseason, now with varsity. He’s a smooth, athletic S that shows speed in his backpedal and the ball skills to make plays in coverage. He possesses disruptive length over the middle of the field (5’11”/160) and has shown quality hands at WR. Ruiz is a player to keep an eye on as he makes the jump to varsity this fall.