29  Luke Ruff
	Class: Junior Hometown: Castle Rock, Colo. High School: Douglas County Height / Weight: 5-11 / 195 Position: Strong Safety

UW This Season: A leader on special teams the past two seasons, Luke Ruff finished 2011 spring practice as UW's projected starter at strong safety. Ruff was a key reserve in the secondary before taking over as the starting strong safety in the final two games of 2010.

2010: Ruff appeared in all 12 games for the Cowboys in 2010 on special teams, and started the final two contests at strong safety. He finished the season with 27 tackles, including one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one blocked kick. Ruff's top performance was a six-tackle effort against Colorado State. He also forced a fumble against the Rams. He was credited with five stops at TCU. His blocked punt came versus San Diego State. Ruff continued to excel academically, earning First Team ESPN Academic All-District VII honors as a sophomore, achieving a 3.56 cumulative-grade-point average in mechanical engineering. He also earned Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors and MWC Scholar-Athlete recognition for the second straight season.

2009: Ruff had an exceptional true freshman season, especially with his contributions to the Cowboy special teams. At the yearend football awards banquet, he was selected the Gen. Pete Schoomaker Special Forces Co-Player of the Year, sharing the award with sophomore punter Austin McCoy. Ruff recorded 12 tackles on the season, six of which were solo tackles. His highest-profile play of the season came against Texas on Sept. 12. With 1:32 remaining in the first half and Texas clinging to a 6-3 lead, Ruff blocked a Texas punt and fellow true freshman Ghaali Muhammad returned it six yards for a touchdown. That score gave the Pokes a 10-6 lead and ignited a sold-out War Memorial Stadium crowd. He had three multi-tackle games on the season -- two against Texas, Florida Atlantic and TCU. He also excelled in the classroom, earning Academic All-Mountain West Conference honors as a true freshman. Ruff also earned MWC Scholar-Athlete recognition for achieving a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better.

High School: Ruff was one of the most highly-decorated high school football players in the state of Colorado in 2008, being named to the All-Colorado team for all classifications as a defensive back by both The Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News. He was also a First Team All-State Class 5A selection by both publications. He captained his Douglas County team to an 8-4 record and the quarterfinals of the 2008 5A State Playoffs. Ruff was credited with 115 tackles, recovered four fumbles, intercepted one pass and blocked three kicks his senior season. He also rushed 45 times for 514 yards and scored 11 touchdowns in `08. His junior season, he helped lead Douglas County to an 11-3 record as Douglas Country finished as the runner-up for the 5A State Championship. He made 70 tackles, intercepted two passes and recovered two fumbles. He also was an All-Conference lacrosse player. Ruff played for head coach Jeff Ketron at Douglas County. Ketron was a former graduate assistant coach under Joe Tiller at the University of Wyoming.

Personal: Born Feb. 25, 1991, Ruff is one of four children of Renee and Greg Ruff. He has a twin sister, Lenise, and two brothers, Josh and Adam. His brother Josh is currently a junior on the football team at Colorado School of Mines. Ruff was also recruited by Air Force, Colorado State, Navy and Northwestern. Ruff is majoring in mechanical engineering.