Tight end, Arizona (from Eastern Michigan, Murray State, Illinois), 2021–26
Cole Rusk
Lettered 2025 at Illinois (school media guide)
- Number
- No. 14
- Height
- 6′5″
- Weight
- 245 lb
- Class (2026)
- Senior
- Hometown
- Rock Island, IL
Cole Rusk plays tight end for Arizona, after Eastern Michigan (2021–22), Murray State (2023) and Illinois (2024–25). Last time out, against Northern Illinois: 3 catches, 25 yards.
2026 so far
6 catches, 86 yards
Last game: 3 catches, 25 yards vs. Northern Illinois, W 42–17
Next game: vs. Iowa State, Oct 24
Filled bars: wins; outlined: losses.
Career highs
7catches, career highat Missouri State, 202394receiving yards, career highvs. Youngstown State, 20232receiving touchdowns, career highvs. North Dakota, 2023Receiving
* The season in progress, so far.
| Season | Team | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Murray State | 39 | 512 | 13.1 | 6 | 47 |
| 2025 | Illinois | 19 | 217 | 11.4 | 1 | 27 |
| 2026 | Arizona | 6 | 86 | 14.3 | 0 | 34 |
| Career | 64 | 815 | 12.7 | 7 | 47 | |
Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.
On the roster
| Season | Team | No. | Pos | Class | Ht | Wt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Eastern Michigan | 14 | TE | |||
| 2022 | Eastern Michigan | 14 | TE | RS | ||
| 2023 | Murray State | 14 | TE | Fr. | ||
| 2024 | Illinois | 14 | TE | So. | ||
| 2025 | Illinois | 14 | TE | Jr. | ||
| 2026 | Arizona | 14 | TE | Sr. | 6′5″ | 245 |
As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.
Per play
| Season | Team | Plays | EPA/play | Pctile | Median | Total | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Murray State (FCS) | 32 | 1.26 | 94th (n=681) | 0.80 | 40.3 | 7% |
| 2025 | Illinois | 25 | 0.78 | – | – | 19.4 | 4% |
| 2026 | Arizona | 7 | 1.22 | – | – | 8.5 | – |
Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.
Game by game
2026 Arizona 3 games, 6 catches, 86 yards
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 5 | vs. | W 35–7 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Sep 12 | at | L 17–28 | 2 | 48 | 0 | 34 |
| Sep 19 | vs. | W 42–17 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 11 |
2025 Illinois 8 games, 19 catches, 217 yards, 1 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 6 | at | W 45–19 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 8 |
| Sep 13 | vs. | W 38–0 | 1 | −1 | 0 | −1 |
| Sep 20 | at | L 10–63 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 14 |
| Sep 27 | vs. | W 34–32 | 1 | 17 | 0 | 17 |
| Oct 11 | vs. | L 16–34 | 5 | 68 | 0 | 20 |
| Oct 25 | at | L 25–42 | 4 | 56 | 0 | 27 |
| Nov 15 | vs. | W 24–6 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 9 |
| Nov 22 | at | L 10–27 | 3 | 33 | 0 | 13 |
2023 Murray State 11 games, 39 catches, 512 yards, 6 TD
| Date | Opponent | Result | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2 | vs. | W 41–10 | 2 | 49 | 0 | 32 |
| Sep 7 | at | L 0–56 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Sep 16 | at | L 14–35 | 6 | 83 | 1 | 44 |
| Sep 30 | vs. | W 30–28 | 3 | 58 | 1 | 37 |
| Oct 7 | at | L 7–38 | 2 | 16 | 0 | 10 |
| Oct 14 | vs. | L 6–27 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 21 | at | L 24–28 | 7 | 88 | 1 | 26 |
| Oct 28 | at | L 6–38 | 4 | 17 | 0 | 6 |
| Nov 4 | vs. | L 31–45 | 3 | 52 | 2 | 23 |
| Nov 11 | at | L 7–44 | 6 | 44 | 0 | 11 |
| Nov 18 | vs. | L 17–34 | 4 | 94 | 1 | 47 |
Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.
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