Buffalo Bulls Preseason Profile Jovany Ruiz-Navarro

In 87 days football is back. Bull Run aims to take a peek at every player on this year’s roster so that when the season starts we have the move informed fan base in the nation.

Ruiz was a high school quarterback at Fredonia High School, 45 miles south of Buffalo. He didn’t garner any division one offers at the position so he walked on at Buffalo. In 2017 he worked with the scout team but worked hard to get into the rotation in 2018.

And it worked. In 2018, still as a walk-on, Ruiz made appearances in three games. Then injury kept him out for all of 2019.

But Ruiz persisted.

2020 was a breakout season for him. Jovany played in all seven games, starting three of them. In the covid abbreviated season, he had 20 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown was named Academic All-MAC, and was awarded a scholarship by then UB coach Lance Leipold.

Ruiz was instrumental in Buffalo's 17-10 win over Marshall in the Camellia Bowl. While he didn’t get to the endzone three of his seven receptions came on the fourth-quarter go-ahead drive that sealed the win. One of those was a critical third-down conversion.

Then, last season, he started the first two games before missing again, with an injury.

If Ruiz stays healthy this year it’s hard not to see him as a key component of the Buffalo offense. Either as a starter or a role receiver.