Kaimon Rucker leads Power 5 Defenders in Quarterback Pressures

Despite how much the UNC defense struggles, it has some individual studs. One of those studs is Kaimon Rucker, among the best edge rushers.

The UNC football team’s defense, as a whole, is underwhelming and has been for quite some time.

That came to a peak last weekend, when the Tar Heels allowed formerly 1-win UVA, to rack up 436 total yards, in a 31-27 upset victory. The Cavaliers, whose rushing offense was struggling in particular, racked up 228 of those yards.

Despite Carolina’s lowly defense, they have a lot of individual talent. Cedric Gray is one of the ACC’s best linebackers, while transfer Alijah Huzzie is undoubtedly the secondary’s best player.

The UNC defensive line is led by another stud in starting Jack Kaimon Rucker, who leads ALL Power 5 players with 39 quarterback pressures.

When college football fans think of schools with defensive stars, teams like Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia might come to mind first.

Yet in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels have the country’s top edge rusher in Rucker. He’s two pressures ahead of Alabama’s Dallas Turner, plus six pressures ahead of Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr. – both SEC rushers.

Rucker is tied for sixth in the country with 7.5 sacks, sharing the number with Mississippi State’s Nathaniel Watson. He also leads Carolina with 11 tackles for loss.

If UNC wants to win on the road tonight against Georgia Tech, a school it always seems to struggle against, it’ll need every bit of Rucker in the backfield.

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