Tag: Kaimon Rucker

UNC football star edge rusher invited to 2025 NFL Combine

NFL dreams are one step closer for this UNC defensive standout.

Though defense proved to be an issue for the UNC football team during its 2024 season, there were a few players who gave Tar Heel Nation something to be proud about.

One of those players happens to be Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina’s fifth-year edge rusher from Hartwell, Ga.

Rucker missed several games earlier this year while recovering from an injury, but ended his final collegiate season with 30 tackles (16 solo), eight tackles for loss, six sacks and three quarterback hurries.

Rucker won’t be suiting up for UNC anymore, but his chances of playing professional football look increasingly more likely.

On his X account Friday, January 3, Rucker shared that he was invited to the NFL Combine.

This year’s Combine, a 4-day event that gives collegiate prospects chances to shine in front of NFL teams during a series of drills, will take place Thursday, February 27-Sunday, March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Rucker’s best 2024 outing came in North Carolina’s 41-14 stomping of Virginia, in which he set season-highs of eight tackles (five solo), 3.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and picked off his lone pass.

Rucker is certainly deserving of a spot at the combine, as he proved to be one of college football’s most dangerous pass-rushers in five seasons as a Tar Heel. Rucker, a Second Team All-ACC selection in 2023, recorded 180 total tackles, 100 solo tackles, 38.5 tackles for loss, 22 sacks, four forced fumbles and passes deflected apiece, one fumble recovery and one interception.

I’m curious to see where Rucker goes in the NFL Draft. I project him being a mid-later round pick, but if NFL teams watched Rucker like we did for five years at UNC, they know they’ll be getting a productive, high-motor player who has an immense passion for the game.

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UNC defensive line duo amongst college football’s best Week 10 edge rushers

Kaimon Rucker and Beau Atkinson give UNC not one, but two, imposing pass rushers for opposing defenses to deal with.

When you talk about the best defensive lineman in college football for over the past two weeks, look no further than the North Carolina Tar Heels.

UNC generated 10 sacks in a 41-14 road blowout of Virginia, led by three from star edge rusher Kaimon Rucker. Reserve lineman Beau Atkinson added two, while Antavious Lane, Amare Campbell, Alijah Huzzie, Jahvaree Ritzie and Des Evans all added one each

In a 35-11 road stomping of Florida State on Saturday, North Carolina tacked on seven more sacks – led again by Atkinson and Rucker. Atkinson generated a game-high 3.5, while Rucker added one.

Particularly for their performance in the FSU game, Atkinson and Rucker were two of the country’s highest-graded edge rushers.

PFF College graded Rucker at 88.8, while it gave Atkinson a grade of 83.6.

Rucker was fourth amongst Power Four edge rushers, behind Stanford’s David Bailey (90.9), South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart (89.8) and NC State’s Devin Vann (89.8).

Atkinson landed sixth amongst Power Four edge rushers – behind Kentucky‘s Tre’Vonn Rybka, but ahead of Indiana’s Mikail Kamara and Ole Miss’ Princely Umanmeilen.

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There was some offseason concern Rucker might elect for the NFL Draft, but his return bolstered a unit that severely underperformed for the Tar Heels in 2023. Rucker missed time earlier this season while recovering from an injury, but he’s shined since fully healthy, notching 17 tackles, four sacks and an interception.

Atkinson, a sophomore from Raleigh, increasingly looks like the future leader of UNC’s defensive line. Atkinson recorded 3.5 sacks in 2023 – and already surpassed that total in two 2024 games.

If North Carolina wants to continue its recent hot streak, more big games from its D-line duo are a crucial key.

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Kaimon Rucker’s historic sack at FSU ties him with UNC legend for sixth all-time

Kaimon Rucker is a sack machine for the UNC football program. His latest sack tied him on the Tar Heels’ all-time list with a football legend.

The North Carolina Tar Heels dominated the Florida State Seminoles in ACC football action on Saturday, marching into Tallahassee and winning 35-11.

UNC’s highlight of the day was star running back Omarion Hampton, who scored all five of his team’s touchdowns. Hampton’s first four came on the ground, setting a career high, then he caught a fourth-quarter score from Jacolby Criswell.

North Carolina’s defense played like its early-2024 form, generating seven sacks against FSU. Kaimon Rucker, who led the Tar Heels with 8.5 sacks in 2023, added a sack of his own against the Seminoles.

What Rucker may not have initially realized, though, is that his lone sack put him in the same company as a football legend.

Rucker’s sack, the 21st of his career, tied him for sixth all-time with Lawrence Taylor. 

If you’re familiar with Taylor, he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive players in football history – both in college and the NFL. Taylor was the 1980 ACC Player of the Year, then generated 132.5 sacks across his 13-year career with the New York Giants.

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After missing five games earlier this year while recovering from a torn meniscus, Rucker’s return has breathed life into the UNC defense. North Carolina has 17 sacks in its past two games, plus it has limited Virginia and FSU to a combined 25 points.

Rucker made a much-welcomed decision to return for his fifth year, bringing 16 career sacks back with him. Rucker is quite the tackling machine, too, generating 170 over his 5-year career.

I’m hopeful Rucker will have a successful NFL career like Taylor, but for now, I’m going to enjoy him in his final games as a Tar Heel.

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UNC football team named a Week 9 winner by USA Today

The North Carolina Tar Heels’ blowout victory earned them some Week 9 recognition from USA Today.

With four straight losses and an unthinkable tragedy fresh on their minds last weekend, the North Carolina Tar Heels did the unthinkable: win a football game.

Not only did UNC (4-4, 1-3) beat Virginia and move just two wins away from bowl eligibility, but UNC won in dominating fashion – 41-14.

North Carolina played well in just about every aspect last weekend, including defense. The Tar Heels dropped 40 points on an opponent for the fourth time this season, while their defense generated 10 sacks, the highest amount in 24 seasons.

With UNC delivering arguably its most well-rounded performance of 2024, it should come – as no surprise – that USA Today dubbed UNC one of its Week 9 winners.

“The clock may still be ticking on Mack Brown’s second tenure at North Carolina, but a 41-14 win against Virginia rights the ship on the heels of a four-game losing streak and puts the Tar Heels back on track for a bowl bid,” USA Today’s Paul Myerberg wrote. “Defensively, UNC gave up only 288 yards of offense after allowing 41.5 points per game during the losing streak, including 70 points to James Madison and 41 points last week against Georgia Tech. The Tar Heels had 10 sacks, forced a pair of turnovers and held the Cavaliers to just 7 yards on 29 carries.”

J.J. Jones finally showcased WR1-level production, catching five passes for a career-high 129 yards. Seven different Tar Heels recorded a sack, led by three from Kaimon Rucker.

North Carolina’s season looked lost after losing to Georgia Tech. Now, all of a sudden, UNC has a chance to move back above .500 this coming weekend at Florida State.

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UNC defensive end named Bednarik Player of the Week

UNC defensive end names Bednarik Player of the Week in just third game this season.

After a four-game slide, the North Carolina football team got back on the right side of the win-loss column on the road in Week 9 against Virginia.

They snapped the four-game losing streak while simultaneously picking up their first conference win this season. Not only would a win have been sufficient, but they put the stomp on Virginia winning by 27 points giving up just one touchdown and two field goals on the day.

While the offense played well under Jacolby Criswell‘s 293 yards through the air and Omarion Hampton‘s 105 yards on the ground, the defense was the most spectacular showing by the Tar Heels in the game.

As a team, they totaled 62 tackles, 10 sacks, 12 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, and one touchdown.

The defense was led by Kaimon Rucker (DE) who was also selected to be the Bednarik Player of the Week.

Rucker finished No. 2 on the team in total tackles with eight including five solo tackles. He led the team with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for a loss. Rucker was also one of the two players to record an interception in the win.

In just under three total games played this season, Rucker has 16 total tackles and 12 solo tackles. He has four sacks and an interception.

He will look to get back into this form and duplicate this game against Florida State on Saturday.

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J.J. Jones and Kaimon Rucker snag weekly ACC honors for UNC football program

J.J. Jones and Kaimon Rucker were the two greatest reasons why UNC obliterated Virginia in ACC football action Saturday.

The North Carolina Tar Heels played the type of football we’ve all been waiting for on Saturday, dismantling the Virginia Cavaliers by a 41-14 score.

After trailing by a field goal early in the first quarter, UNC took the lead for good on J.J. Jones‘ first of two touchdowns receptions. Jones enjoyed arguably his best college game, catching five passes for two touchdowns a career-high 129 yards.

North Carolina’s defense made a complete 180 from the Georgia Tech game, never allowing Virginia to settle into a rhythm and generating 10 sacks. Kaimon Rucker, the Tar Heels’ top edge rusher, led the sack party with three of his own.

It should come as no surprise that, because of their impacts on Saturday’s much-needed victory, Jones and Rucker earned ACC Weekly Honors.

Jones was tabbed the ACC Wide Receiver of the Week, while Rucker was named the ACC Defensive Lineman of the Week.

After struggling to find consistency at the wide receiver spot all season, UNC finally found its top guy in Jones. His five receptions matched a 2024-best, set against James Madison in Week 4, then matched the following weekend at Duke.

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Rucker missed several games earlier this season while recovering from a torn meniscus, but looked like his 2023 self on Saturday. Rucker was healthy, moving around quickly and in the Cavaliers’ backfield virtually every play.

Jones and Rucker will look to build upon their standout Week 9 performances on Saturday, Nov. 2, as North Carolina will face Florida State at 3:30 p.m.

Can the Tar Heels stay focused and not overlook a struggling Seminoles squad?

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UNC dominates Virginia from opening kickoff, gets first ACC win with complete performance

The Tar Heels marched into Scott Stadium Saturday afternoon and turned their season around against Virginia, dominating in every aspect of a 27-point blowout.

I don’t know if it was the bye week, the beautiful fall air or just a hunger for victory, but the UNC football team put together its most complete performance of 2024 on Saturday afternoon at Virginia.

North Carolina’s offense moved the ball and scored at will, defense prevented the Cavaliers from gaining any sort of momentum and, when the final seconds ticked away in the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels left Charlottesville with a 41-14 victory.

Today’s win meant more than just any other win – it was in honor of Tylee Craft.

UNC (4-4, 1-3 ACC) took the lead for good on Jacolby Criswell’s first touchdown pass, a 37-yard strike to J.J. Jones with 5:23 left in the opening quarter, then distanced itself from Virginia with a 17-point second quarter.

North Carolina’s offense was good in the first half, but its defense was great. The Tar Heels generated six sacks, after not recording a single one two weeks ago – and held the Cavaliers to under 100 yards.

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When the game ended, UNC increased its sack total to 10, led by three from Kaimon Rucker. North Carolina limited Virginia to 288 yards, the lowest yardage total an opponent has gained against the Tar Heels since Week 3, when NC Central gained just 167 yards.

Omarion Hampton delivered yet another signature performance for the UNC offense, carrying the football 26 times for 105 yards and two touchdown. Not only was today Hampton’s third game of the year with multiple touchdowns – or sixth-consecutive game with 100 yards – but Hampton reached 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season.

All year long, North Carolina had been looking for a wide receiver to step up lead its unit. J.J. Jones did exactly that today, catching five Criswell passes for a career-high 129 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Now two weeks removed from a fourth-consecutive defeat, the Tar Heels only need two more wins to reach a bowl game.

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UNC generates six sacks, holds Virginia to under 100 yards in first half of football

Just how good was UNC’s first-half defense against Virginia?

Through one half of football Saturday afternoon, the North Carolina Tar Heels are outplaying Virginia in just about every aspect.

There’s one surprising area that UNC (3-4, 0-3) is particularly outplaying the Cavaliers (4-3, 2-1) in: defense.

North Carolina took a 24-6 lead into the half, holding Virginia to a pair of Will Bettridge field goals. That wasn’t even the most impressive part of the Tar Heels’ surprising performance, though.

UNC generated six first-half sacks against the Cavaliers, with the final one coming from top edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, to end the half. North Carolina limited Virginia to just 77 first-half yards, two weeks after allowing Georgia Tech to gash its defense for 500 yards.

Six different Tar Heels have sacks: Rucker, season sack leader Jahvaree Ritzie, defensive end Des Evans, defensive back Alijah Huzzie, defense lineman Beau Atkinson and linebacker Amare Campbell, who is a captain for today’s game.

Virginia made it all the way down to UNC’s 1-yard line on its first drive, after its own defense forced a punt. A bad snap and two incomplete passes later from Anthony Colandrea, the Cavaliers had to settle for a field goal.

On Virginia’s second scoring drive, star wide receiver Malachi Fields caught a 34-yard pass that got him down to North Carolina’s 12-yard line. After a 2-yard Colandrea run and an incomplete pass, the Cavaliers settled for a field goal – again.

Outside of Virginia’s two scoring drives, the Tar Heels forced a negative yardage total of -14. We didn’t see a ton of big plays from the Cavaliers in the first half and, while that could easily change in the second half, we’re very encouraged.

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UNC football’s top edge rusher tabbed a Man of the Year semifinalist

Kaimon Rucker is a defensive beast for the UNC football team, but he also has a kind heart off the field.

For the North Carolina Tar Heels, calling the 2024 college football season a whirlwind is an understatement.

UNC gave fans some optimism with its 3-0 start, then followed a concerning trend – in recent seasons – with four straight losses.

After the Georgia Tech loss, which North Carolina could’ve won on its last possession, we learned the gut-wrenching news that Tylee Craft lost his long battle to lung cancer.

For a Tar Heels team that’s in desperate need of some good news, it finally received some on Tuesday afternoon.

Kaimon Rucker, UNC’s best edge rusher who led the team in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (15) in 2023, was named a semifinalist for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.

Rucker is one of 20 semifinalists for the Witten Award which, according to its official website, is given to the college football player who best “demonstrates a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.”

“A second-team All-ACC performer in 2023, Rucker is on the watch lists for the Nagurski and Bednarik Awards, and he is the leader of UNC’s defensive unit,” JasonWitten82.com wrote about Rucker. “He is a true standout in the community as well, where he provided personal hygiene items from his personal funds – for fifth graders at his old elementary school – who are experiencing physical changes to their bodies. He conducted a seminar with the fifth graders, primarily males, in an effort to educate them on this phase of their life. Rucker already earned his undergrad degree and is currently pursuing his master’s.”

On the football field this year, Rucker has eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack through three games. He previously missed time while recovering from a torn meniscus.

North Carolina will need the best from Rucker going forward if it wants to salvage what’s left of the season.

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Key UNC football player inching closer to return

Will this UNC football standout defender return from an injury?

North Carolina’s defense clearly misses pass rusher Kaimon Rucker who has been out the past few weeks with an injury. After giving up 70 to James Madison, the defense played better last week for the first half before Duke rallied to score 21 straight points to steal the game.

But some help might just be coming sooner than they thought.

During Monday’s press conference, head coach Mack Brown discussed Rucker and where things are at following a procedure that was done on his knee. Brown said that Rucker has yet to be cleared but he looked ‘really good’ running with the trainer.

“We haven’t gotten the full report yet, so we’ll see in the morning,” Brown said via Tar Heel Illustrated. “He was running with the trainers yesterday and looked really good.”

Rucker had a procedure to clean up a torn meniscus back on September 9th per Inside Carolina. But he’s recovering well after missing four games and there’s a chance that he could play this week.

Obviously, that would require him to be cleared by the medical staff, something that hasn’t been done as of Monday.

If Rucker is cleared and can play against Pitt, it would be a huge addition to this defense that has struggled over the past two weeks. Rucker finished with 8.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and 12 QB hurries last season, earning All-ACC honors.

The Tar Heels really need a boost to their defense if they want to salvage anything from this season and get to a bowl game.

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