Andrew Rupcich
| No. 76 – Tennessee Titans | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Offensive lineman | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | April 1, 1999 Wonder Lake, Illinois, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 318 lb (144 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | McHenry (IL) | ||||||
| College: | Culver–Stockton (2017–2021) | ||||||
| Undrafted: | 2022 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Injured reserve | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2023 | |||||||
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Andrew Rupcich (born April 1, 1999) is an American professional football offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Culver–Stockton and was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 2022.
Early life and education
[edit]Rupcich was born on April 1, 1999, in Wonder Lake, Illinois.[1] He attended McHenry High School and was played both basketball and football, being a two-way lineman in the latter and being selected all-conference at right tackle as a senior.[2][3] He qualified for college late and thus signed to play college football with the Culver–Stockton Wildcats of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), rather than opt to try junior college football or be a walk-on at a higher level.[3]
College career
[edit]Rupcich gained a starting role at left tackle as a freshman in 2017 and went on to play every snap for the rest of his collegiate career.[4] He started all 11 games in 2017 and did the same in 2018 while being named first-team All-Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) North Division.[2][5] He was named the school's athlete of the year in 2018.[6] In 2019, he started all 11 games at left tackle and was chosen first-team All-HAAC North Division for the second time in a row, being the first repeat player to earn the honors at Culver–Stockton since 2014 while helping Culver–Stockton have its first winning season since 2001.[2][5][7] He was also chosen a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), being the fifth All-American in school history and the first since 2007.[7] Rupcich also gained notice that year for throwing a 44-yard pass and was given the Banner Society Piesman Award for it.[5][6][8]
Rupcich started all four games at left tackle in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, being first-team AFCA All-American and first-team All-HAAC North Division.[2] He became Culver–Stockton's first two-time All-American.[9] After returning for a final year in 2021, he started all 11 games and was first-team All-American from Associated Press, the NAIA and the AFCA while also being first-team All-HAAC North Division.[2][10] He ended his collegiate career having appeared in and started all 48 games in five seasons while missing no snaps, being the first player in NAIA history to be named first-team All-American at the same position three times.[2][4] He was described by NFL analyst Dane Brugler as "Overall ... one of the best offensive linemen to ever come from the NAIA level," and Rupcich was both the only NAIA player to be invited to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and to the NFL Scouting Combine.[3][4] He graduated in December 2021 with a degree in physical education and health and was also invited to play at the College Gridiron Showcase and the Hula Bowl.[11]
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
318 lb (144 kg) |
32+7⁄8 in (0.84 m) |
9+1⁄2 in (0.24 m) |
5.31 s | 1.85 s | 3.07 s | 4.90 s | 7.95 s | 31.0 in (0.79 m) |
9 ft 0 in (2.74 m) |
25 reps | |
| Sources:[12][13] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2022 NFL draft, Rupcich was signed by the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted free agent.[14] He was released at the final roster cuts, on August 30, and was re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[15][16][17] He did not appear in any games in his first season, spending the entire year on the practice squad as the Titans finished with a record of 7–10.[18][19] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 23, 2023.[20] He was released at the final roster cuts on August 29, 2023, and then re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[21][22] Rupcich was elevated to the active roster for the team's Week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and made his debut in the 20–6 loss, appearing on 45 offensive snaps and three special teams snaps after coming at right guard for the injured Andre Dillard.[1][23][24] He became the third Culver–Stockton NFL player in history, following Bob Hendren (1949–1951) and Jason Kaiser (1998–1999).[25] Rupcich was signed to the 53-man roster on December 23.[26] He finished the season having appeared in five games, two as a starter.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Andrew Rupcich Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c d e f "Andrew Rupcich". Tennessee Titans. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023.
- ^ a b c Moraitis, Mike (May 26, 2022). "What scouting reports said about Titans UDFA OL Andrew Rupcich". USA Today.
- ^ a b c Adams, Cam (July 23, 2022). "Culver-Stockton standout chases NFL dream". Herald-Whig.
- ^ a b c "Rupcich leads brigade of Wildcats receiving All-Heart honors". Herald-Whig. November 21, 2019.
- ^ a b "NFL Draft Profile: Andrew Rupcich, Offensive Tackle, Culver Stockton Wildcats". Sports Illustrated. March 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Shuler, Bill (December 5, 2019). "All America Honors for Culver Stockton Lineman". KHMO.
- ^ "The Piesman Trophy: college football's greatest award". Banner Society. August 14, 2019.
- ^ Duerr, Christopher (May 5, 2021). "The Rupcich Repeat: C-SC Tackle becomes program's first Two-Time All-American". KHQA-TV.
- ^ Cornish Jr., Tony (December 14, 2021). "WGEM Sports At Six: Monday (December 13) Culver-Stockton's Andrew Rupcich And Dalton Huffman Are Selected As Members Of The AFCA-NAIA All-American Football Team". WGEM-TV.
- ^ Stevenson, Joe (January 29, 2022). "McHenry West grad Andrew Rupcich has big week prepping for bowl game". Northwest Herald. p. A29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Andrew Rupcich Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ "2022 NFL Draft Scout Andrew Rupcich College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ^ Stevenson, Joe (May 2, 2022). "McHenry alum Rupcich agrees to deal with Titans". Northwest Herald. p. A15 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Arthur, Ben (August 30, 2022). "Tennessee Titans set 53-man roster: Here's who did — and didn't — make the cut". The Tennessean.
- ^ Stevenson, Joe (September 2, 2022). "Streveler, Rupcich land on practice squads". Northwest Herald. p. A18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Reidy, Brendan (September 5, 2022). "Andrew Rupcich Makes Titans Practice Squad". WGEM-TV.
- ^ Potts, John (September 1, 2023). "Former C-SC tackle Rupcich joins Titans' practice squad". WGEM-TV.
- ^ Potts, John (January 19, 2023). "Former C-SC offensive lineman Rupcich discusses first year in NFL". WGEM-TV.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim (January 23, 2023). "Titans Sign 14 Players to Reserve/Futures Contracts". Tennessee Titans.
- ^ Alper, Josh (August 29, 2023). "Titans keep 11 rookies on their initial 53-man roster". ProFootballTalk. NBC Sports.
- ^ Suss, Nick (August 30, 2023). "Tennessee Titans practice squad announced: Which players were brought back after cut day?". The Tennessean.
- ^ Simmons, Myles (November 11, 2023). "Titans place Nicholas Petit-Frere on injured reserve". ProFootballTalk. NBC Sports.
- ^ Suss, Nick (November 12, 2023). "Andre Dillard leaves Tennessee Titans game vs. Buccaneers, being evaluated for concussion". The Tennessean.
- ^ "Culver-Stockton Players/Alumni". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ Wyatt, Jim. "Titans Make a Flurry of Roster Moves Ahead of Sunday's Game vs the Seahawks". Tennessee Titans. Retrieved December 24, 2023.
