Jacob Ruby (born December 13, 1992) is a Canadian professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line (OL), while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line ( ...

for the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) (Canadian French, French: ) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...

(CFL). Ruby played football throughout his youth and played for both high school and college teams. He was a 2010 graduate of

Fork Union Military Academy Fork Union Military Academy (abbreviated as FUMA) is a private school, private, all-male, college preparatory Christian school, Christian Military school, military boarding school located in Fork Union, Virginia. Founded in 1898, Fork Union is co ...

. Ruby was a four-year starter at the

University of Richmond The University of Richmond (UR or U of R) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Richmond, Virginia, United States. It is a primarily undergraduate, residential institution with approxim ...

Early life

Ruby began his football career with Medway High School, near

London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...

, before moving to

where he was an All-Prep League player. He also played two years of club football for the London Falcons. During his time at the London Falcons, he was named as the team's Most Outstanding Offensive Player. In 2008, he played

tight end The tight end (TE) is an offense (sports), offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a receiver (football), receiv ...

for FUMA and in 2009 played tackle; earning him an All-State and All-Prep honors. In January 2010, Ruby was one of 90 players selected to play in the USA vs. The World All-Star game which was broadcast on live TV. In 2010, he was

redshirted Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

College career

In 2011, Ruby played all 11 games on the offensive line and made 10 starts. He recorded two tackles, one coming against Massachusetts and the other at Delaware. In 2012, Ruby and the Spiders won a share of the

Colonial Athletic Association The Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), formerly the ECAC South Conference and the Colonial Athletic Association, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA' ...

conference championship, but were snubbed from a playoff spot. In 2014, Ruby started all 14 games for the Spiders at

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

and was named Third Team All-Conference and a 2nd Team VaSid player. The Spiders reached the quarter-finals of the

Football Championship Subdivision The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (F ...

playoffs.

Professional career

Montreal Alouettes

Ruby was selected in the first round, eighth overall, in the 2015 CFL Draft by the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: ''Les Alouettes de Montréal'') are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has disbanded twice and been re-established thrice. The Alouettes compe ...

and signed with the team on May 27, 2015. He dressed for three games in his rookie year in 2015 and played in 17 regular season games in 2016. He began the 2017 season on the injured list, but was then released by the Alouettes on July 5, 2017.

Edmonton Eskimos/Elks

Shortly after his release from Montreal, Ruby signed with the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at Commonwealth Stadium. The E ...

on July 17, 2017, and played in two games during the 2017 season. He played in 15 games in 2018, starting two, and became a regular starter in 2019 when he played and started in 17 regular season games. Ruby did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season. Instead, he re-signed with Edmonton to a contract extension through 2022 on December 26, 2020. He played and started in the first three regular season games for the newly named

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division (CFL), West Division and plays their home games at Commonw ...

in 2021, but was released on August 31, 2021, due to a violation of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

protocols. Ruby reportedly misrepresented his vaccination status to the Elks and was subsequently barred from signing with any CFL teams for the remainder of the 2021 season.

Ottawa Redblacks

On January 10, 2022, it was announced that Ruby had signed with the

. He was named a CFL East All-Star for his strong play during the 2022 season. On May 12, 2023, Ruby and the Redblacks agreed to a three-year contract extension. On January 31, 2024, Ruby was released by the Redblacks. However, he re-signed with the team on February 12, 2024.

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ruby, Jacob Living people 1992 births Canadian football offensive linemen American football offensive linemen Richmond Spiders football players Montreal Alouettes players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Canadian football people from London, Ontario Edmonton Elks players Ottawa Redblacks players Fork Union Military Academy alumni Players of American football from Ontario