Ruth was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He wrestled at Susquehanna Township High School prior to transferring to Blair Academy in Blairstown, New Jersey for his senior year and graduating in 2009. In folkstyle wrestling, Ruth competed for Penn State from 2010-2014, where he was a four-time NCAA All-American, four-time Big Ten Champion and a three-time NCAA Champion at 184-pounds. In his freshman year, in 2011, Ruth garnered a third-place finish at 174 pounds after losing in the semi-finals to Stanford’s Amuchestegi. He completed his collegiate career with an impressive 136-3 overall record during his career as a Nittany Lion.

Following his time in State College, Ruth was a representative for team USA at the 2014 World Wrestling Championships and was also a Silver Medalist at the 2015 USA World Team Trials before becoming a professional MMA fighter. In July 2021, Ruth joined the University of Illinois wrestling program as an assistant coach, joining head coach Mike Poeta in his first year at the helm of the program. Ruth came to Champaign following several years as a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter.