Coach’s Take: Miami 4-star commit Elias Rudolph makes off-field impact in first half of season

Four-star Miami 2024 EDGE commit Elias Rudolph, the No. 308 overall prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking, has been fairly limited on the field his first half of the season due to an arm injury. But while he works his way back to the field, he’s finding plenty of ways to stay involved with his team.

Rudolph has developed into a leader for Cincinnati (Ohio) Taft in his senior year while he’s been sidelined, according to Taft head coach Tyler Williams. Whether it’s been instructing younger teammates, breaking down film or filling the water cooler, Rudolph has found ways to be just as valuable to the Senators from the sideline as he usually is on the field.

“He’s definitely been a great influence with prepping the kids for their games, helping them with their game plan,” Williams said of the Miami commit. “And how he was before he got injured, he has a really high motor for us. He made plays every time he was in, and he was definitely a spark to our defense for being a veteran coming back and a returning starter for us.

“(Rudolph) is a special player. It sucks he’s injured and not able to play for us right now. But he’s a special kid and a special player.”

Rudolph got injured the second week of the season, but in the two games he played, he was next to unstoppable for Taft. Rudolph was being double teamed off the edge on virtually every play but was still finding ways to get sacks, tackles for loss and generate turnovers. He had a scoop-and-score fumble return touchdown in the first week of the season, and Williams said he “always finds a way to be around the ball.” He was also named a captain going into the season.

Williams said Rudolph’s ball get-off and quick twitch is “top notch” and feels he can’t be blocked off the edge, although Taft does occasionally stunt him inside. He met every on-field expectation Williams had for him prior to his injury, although like with all prospects there’s always room for improvement.

Williams wants Rudolph to continue to gain weight and add muscle and learn to better exploit offensive tackles’ weaknesses, which he’s still learning to do. He wants to see Rudolph continue to refine his pass rushing skillset beyond simply bull rushing, continuing to refine his game and employ different moves he’s learned over the years.

Williams did not specify Rudolph’s injury but said he plans to have a MRI to learn the extent of his injury and find out just how long he’ll be out. Williams said if the injury is too serious and he needs surgery, Rudolph will be shut down for the season to avoid any long-term damage and ensure he’s ready to play at the University of Miami.

CaneSport’s Take

Rudolph was more or less what we expected him to be before his injury: a big, fast, strong, twitchy force in the backfield still needing some refinement but with encouraging upside if his skillset reaches its potential. At the moment, there doesn’t seem to be much concern Rudolph’s unspecified injury will hinder his ability at the college level, but we’ll hopefully learn more soon.

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