June 28, 2017
By Christian Page
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. - When he was a four-star safety recruit from Duluth, Ga., Nick Ruffin had the opportunity to play college football virtually anywhere he wanted. With offers from practically all of schools in the top 25, Ruffin chose to stay close to home and sign with Auburn.
"It's a family," Ruffin said. "That's what brought me here. When I'm down, everybody is around to pick you up. I know a lot of places say it, but here you can feel it. Everybody here lives it."
Ruffin saw playing time his first season on campus, mostly on special teams, making nine tackles. His role increased the past two seasons and he credits most of it to his mental maturity.
"I have definitely gotten better as far as my mental strength goes," Ruffin said. "I was one of those guys who didn't have to be pushed very hard before I got here. When you get here, you have coaches constantly on you. They're always critiquing you on how to make yourself better.
"At first, it kind of took a toll on me. But when I finally realized they did it for a reason, I started to grow and understand that."
Ruffin plans to give incoming freshmen the same advice.
"Don't give up," Ruffin said. "The biggest thing that a lot of guys deal with is they will get down on themselves and get a little upset when things don't go their way.
"Don't give up and keep pushing. Things get better in the end."
Ruffin reminds himself of this as well when balancing academics and football.
"It's definitely difficult finding time to balance the two," he said. "Football is very time-consuming, as well as school. It's really two full-time jobs.
"I think people get a misunderstanding of football thinking we get spoiled a bit, but it's work. It's constant work every day -- from the time you wake up till the time you go to sleep, you're working -- but it's all worth it at the end."
Ruffin enjoys practices and says he will miss the intensity and the bond he and his teammates have developed.
"As weird as it may sound, practice and hearing the trash talk and all the energy with my teammates and workouts is what I am going to miss most about football," Ruffin said. "All that stuff people dread is probably the stuff I will miss most."
After being taken under the wing of Sammie Coates, Nick Marshall, Melvin Ray and Trovon Reed when he arrived on campus in 2014, Ruffin looks to embody the same role as a senior leader this fall.
"I have always been a more lead-by-example guy," Ruffin said. "I never really do a whole lot of talking. My only goal is to guide the younger guys on how to do things the way it should be done. That is to work hard, give effort, tackle well and know your assignments."
Ruffin's leadership will carry beyond the football field. If a professional football career is not in the works after his time at Auburn, he has a plan.
"I'm going to get my master's degree and then try to get my doctorate's degree," Ruffin said. "I'm going to be a psychiatrist. I just want to help people. That's my overall goal in life.
"Mental strength is obviously a big thing in football and being able to help mentally is one of the best ways to impact the world. With mental strength comes mental fortitude."
Ruffin remembers arriving on campus for the first time as a student and finds it difficult to believe that his time at Auburn is almost up. He says it's a good feeling but also nostalgic.
"I've formed bonds and friendships with guys that will never fade," he said. "Being able to find guys that I shared blood, sweat and tears with every day is a wonderful thing."
Ruffin has a similar description for the members of the Auburn Family.
"It's been nothing but love," he said. "It's been nothing but constant support. I've never seen a fan bad-mouth any of us. After a loss, they have always been supportive. They always say, 'Keep going, keep fighting.' It's been a joy to play in front of the best fans in college football."
Ruffin enters the 2017 season with 68 career tackles and nine passes broken up, but statistics aren't his biggest concern heading into the season. He wants to win.
"They brought me here to win and that's what I plan on us doing," he said. "I've always been a winner. I don't like losing. I hope to go out with this senior class as a winner at Auburn."
Christian Page is a student assistant with Auburn Athletics Communications.