Noe Ruelas didn’t need an introduction to UCF football.

He received one as a member of the UConn football team in 2021 when the Huskies visited FBC Mortgage Stadium in late November. True to its nickname, the Bounce House left an impression on Ruelas all these years later.

“I remember we were in the locker room as the away team, and you could feel the stadium move a little bit. You could hear the students jumping [on the bleachers] because the visiting locker room is under the student section. You could feel them jumping up and down,” Ruelas told the Sentinel.

The Knights came away with a 49-17 win that day and, while Ruelas didn’t see the field as a true freshman kicker, he remembers it even four years later.

Now Ruelas should get a chance to experience the full Bounce House effect, albeit this time from the home side after transferring to UCF last month.

“It felt like the right situation and a good spot to do my final college football season,” he said. “The coaching staff was a big part of that. [Special-teams] Coach [Pete] Alamar was a big part of that. He has a lot of experience in college football, being a coordinator for so many years. He’s also well-connected with the NFL and has a couple of guys in the league and that’s something I’m pushing for.”

The 6-foot-1, 190-pound Ruelas comes to the program after one season at James Madison, where he served as the Dukes’ primary kicker. He made 80% (16 of 20) of his field goal attempts and 35-of-37 on point-after attempts.

Ruelas was a perfect 9 of 9 on field goal attempts inside the 40-yard line and 14 of 16 on attempts inside the 50. Twice he connected on attempts of 50-plus yards, with a season-long 52-yarder against Appalachian State.

He also averaged 60.2 yards on nine kickoffs last season.

Before his time at James Madison, he spent three seasons at UConn.

He was the Huskies’ primary kicker in 2022 after starter Joe McFadden went down with a season-ending injury, connecting on 75% (12 of 16) of his field goal attempts and 28-of-28 on extra points. Ruelas made 3 of 4 field goals and 3-of-3 extra points in 2023 before transferring to James Madison.

When he entered his name into the transfer portal on April 18, several schools contacted him, but his connection with Alamar convinced him to continue his career in Orlando.

“He’s genuine and truly wants to be a part of my journey to that next level,” Ruelas said of Alamar. “First, we have to have a good season this season, but he wanted to be a part of that journey and help me out.”

Alamar, 64, joined Scott Frost’s coaching staff at UCF in December and is now the Knights’ special-teams coordinator. He has honed this role at various schools, including Arizona, California, Fresno State, Stanford and Rice.

Veteran UCF assistant Pete Alamar preaches opportunities on special teams

Throughout his career, he’s developed a litany of all-conference kickers and punters, including punters Bryan Anger (Cal/Cowboys) and Jake Bailey (Stanford/Dolphins) and kicker Joshua Karty (Stanford/Rams), who were among the best in the country.

Ruelas joins the program at the right time, with the Knights searching for a new placekicker.

Sophomore Grant Reddick, who assumed the placekicker role midway through last season, opted to enter the transfer portal after spring camp. This decision leaves the team’s kicking responsibilities for Ruelas and Noah McGough, a promising late 2025 commitment from Jesuit High School in Dallas.

“Coach Frost has built a team where there’s a lot of talent on the roster, and that was important,” Ruelas said.

Ruelas primarily played soccer while growing up in Colorado but decided to try out for the football team during his freshman year of high school.

“I started playing soccer at the age of 4 and played up until my freshman year of high school, and that’s kind of when I started playing football,” he said. “I started playing because of my friends. They’re like, ‘Oh, you’ve got to play with us in high school.’”

While he played wide receiver and safety, he was soon asked to play another position.

“We needed a kicker and we had tryouts and they were like, ‘Who can kick? And I was like, ‘I can kick.’ We had a couple of kids try out, and I became one of the better ones. So they chose me,” he said.

After he finishes his studies at James Madison, Ruelas plans to move to Orlando. He’s excited about the opportunity at UCF.

“I just want to help the team win,” he said. “If I’m put in a position where I need to make a kick, my goal at the end of the day is to make every kick. Hopefully, that’s what happens.”

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.