Notre Dame Football walk-on headed to Harvard Medical School

This is an excerpt from the original article by Deanna Csomo Ferrell, Communications Associate Director in the College of Science.

The lights beaming down on Generoso “Jerry” Rullo ’26 felt shockingly bright at Notre Dame Stadium at the end of the Florida State game in 2024. Even though Notre Dame was ahead by more than 40 points, Rullo, a walk-on linebacker taking his position on the iconic football field for the first time, felt a twinge of fear as he faced off against a lineman.

“He looked really big in person, more than you’d think,” said Rullo. The surreal scene briefly reminded him of controlling a player in an EA Sports’ Madden NFL video game.

“I kind of instinctively tuned it out,” he said, thinking back to his training. “Once your instincts kick in, you know, you go where you need to go.”

Rullo’s parents met at Notre Dame as part of the U.S. Army ROTC program, which he also joined when he arrived on campus in 2022. The neuroscience and behavior major from Havertown, Pennsylvania, played football and lacrosse in high school and considered himself an athlete, enjoying contributing to his teams and competing. At the time, however, playing football at Notre Dame wasn’t something he believed could be possible.

“When it came to going to college, you know, I always had more of an academic focus, and the place I wanted to go to college, first and foremost for me, was Notre Dame,” said Rullo, who has long planned on becoming a physician.

It’s a goal he’s one step closer to achieving. The walk-on football player recently accepted an offer to study medicine at Harvard Medical School, a level of achievement accomplished by only about 200 students from around the world each year, with an average of just two each year from Notre Dame.

“He is a wonderful human being, and his ability to manage and prioritize tasks is truly exceptional,” said Kathleen Kolberg, associate dean in the College of Science and assistant director of the Center for Health Sciences Advising.

Drive for medical school

Though Rullo was on the field for Notre Dame drives during football season, his driving force in life has been toward medicine, a calling he felt even in high school. He has a natural affinity for science and math, and even earned a 524—nearly a perfect score—on his Medical College Admission Test (MCAT).

Partly because of his volunteer work in hospice care and his travels to Tanzania and Kenya as part of Project Global Officer through ROTC, where he gained proficiency in Swahili, he doesn’t see work in medicine as simply a calling or a profession.

It’s his way to serve.

Rullo was accepted into several medical schools, but knew after his interview at Harvard that it was the program for him.

“It’s always about working together for him,” his father said. “He would say to give it your all, because it’s not about him. It’s about ‘us.’”

LTC William Kobbe, professor of military science at Notre Dame, described Rullo as someone who not only has a natural aptitude for so many different endeavors, but is also respectful with the highest level of humility. “He embodies the spirit of God, Country, Notre Dame,” Kobbe said. “He’s the ultimate, humble teammate.”

Check out the full article for much more on Rullo’s Notre Dame journey ›

Rockne Athletics Fund members and contributors build champions like Rullo, who take advantage of all the resources and opportunities that Notre Dame offers to student-athletes. Rullo is one example of an elite athlete developing as a whole person, on and off the field, ready to pursue an ambitious path while representing the Fighting Irish. The Rockne Athletics Fund supports that entire journey.