COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Colorado State University Pueblo junior safety Kahden Rullo (Denver, Colo./Grandview) has been named this week's inaugural Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Defensive Football Player of the Week as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.

Rullo earns his first career RMAC Player of the Week honor after his standout performance on defense in the Pack's season-opening 43-0 shutout home victory in the ThunderBowl over South Dakota Mines. 

Against the Hardrockers, Rullo recorded five total tackles, a strip sack and a pass break-up to lead the nationally seventh-ranked Pack to its first shutout since the 2022 season. His strip sack punctuated the ThunderWolves' first half, with the resulting fumble recovery by sophomore defensive lineman A.J. Jordan (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vista Ridge) returned 64 yards for a score to give the Pack a 22-0 lead at halftime. Rullo helped lead a Pack defense that forced four turnovers, tallied seven sacks and held the Hardrockers to a total of 203 yards of offense.

The shutout was the first for the Pack since earning a 38-0 win at Black Hills State on Nov. 12, 2022. Additionally, it was the 29th shutout in the program's history and the 16th shutout since the football program restarted in 2008.

In addition to Rullo, the league named New Mexico Highlands freshman running back Jeffery Jones as the Offensive Player of the Week and Colorado Mesa senior kicker/punter Sullivan Moon as the Special Teams Player of the Week.

Jones earns this week's inaugural RMAC Offensive Player of the Week accolade after rushing for 223 net yards in New Mexico Highlands' season-opening 34-28 win at Eastern New Mexico. He has the third most rushing yards in a game so far this season. In the win, he carried the ball 19 times and averaged 11.7 yards per carry and scored three touchdowns, including a 61-yard outburst with 3:19 left in the game that secured the Cowboys' victory.

Meanwhile, Moon earns the RMAC Special Teams Player of the Week honor after averaging 48.7 yards on six punts in Colorado Mesa's season-opening loss at Central Washington. Three of his six punts went for 50-plus yards, including a 70-yard punt (one of four 70-yard punts so far this season in Division II). Moon also downed two of his punts inside the 20-yard line and three went for touchbacks.

Rullo and ThunderWolves (1-0 overall, 1-0 RMAC) return to action this coming Thursday, Sept. 4 as they host Fort Hays State (0-1 overall) for a 6:05 p.m. non-conference tilt in the CSU Pueblo ThunderBowl. Fort Hays State, who was tabbed to finish third in the Preseason MIAA poll, opened the 2025 season with a 28-7 setback at home last Thursday to 13th-ranked Angelo State.