Mifflin grad Isaac Ruoss earns national recognition at Naval Academy

Navy senior fullback Isaac Ruoss has been named a second-team Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Director’s of America. 

The Gov. Mifflin grad was the only service academy student-athlete honored.

Ruoss led the Mids in rushing this season with 641 yards and five touchdowns on 166 carries. He had nine carries for 33 yards in Navy’s 17-13 win over Army last week.

Ruoss, who carries a 3.87 grade-point average in quantitative economics, is the 21st Navy football player to be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American and the 10th under current head coach Ken Niumatalolo.

Ruoss was a star for one of the Mustangs’ best teams in 2017. He set a program record with 1,789 rushing yards and was at the center of one of the program’s greatest victories, when it took down nationally ranked Harrisburg and Micah Parsons in a District 3 Class 5A semifinal on the Cougars’ home turf.

He was Offensive Back of the Year in Berks and earned All-State recognition.

He’ll graduate in May with a degree in quantitative economics and receive a commission as Marine Corps officer. After that he hopes to be accepted into Naval flight school, and then to become a Marine pilot.

If all goes as plans that’s a 10-year commitment — two years at flight school, followed by an eight-year hitch with the Marines.

Ruoss rushed for a season-high 84 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries against UCF. He had 73 yards on 22 carries against Notre Dame.

He was one of five players from the American Athletic Conference selected, joining Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder (first-team quarterback), Alec Pierce (first-team wide receiver), Lorenz Metz (second-team offensive lineman) and Bryan Cook (second-team defensive back).

CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America program in 1952, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America scholar-athlete honors.