Tag: Kaimon Rucker

Kaimon Rucker earns more honors for Week 1 against South Carolina

UNC football standout Kaimon Rucker has earned some honors after the Week 1 win over the South Carolina Gamecocks.

North Carolina linebacker Kaimon Rucker is racking up the honors for his play in the 31-17 win over South Carolina in Week 1.

Rucker earned Walter Camp honors as well as ACC Player of the Week honors, and now he can add another accolade to the list. On Wednesday, Rucker was named the Bednarik Award Player of the Week. The award was announced by the Maxwell Football Club, honoring the best defensive player of the week in college football.

Each year, the award is given out at the end of the season to the top defensive player of the year.

Rucker helped lead a dominant performance by North Carolina’s defense as the Tar Heels sacked Spencer Rattler nine times and had a total of 16.5 tackles for loss in the win. Rucker finished the game with eight tackles, five and a half tackles for loss, and two sacks.

The Tar Heels will now get set to host Appalachian State on Saturday in Chapel Hill.

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Brooks and Rucker take home ACC POTW honors for UNC

British Brooks and Kaimon Rucker, instrumental to UNC’s season-opening win against South Carolina, earned ACC Player of the Week honors.

There are few other feelings in sports that match starting a season 1-0.

Those teams get to claim they’re “undefeated” for at least one more week. Some of these 1-0 schools might enjoy that mark for the entire season, while others might fall back to .500 the following week.

UNC is one of the lucky schools who gets to stay undefeated heading into its Week 2 clash, as the Tar Heels rode a strong, second-half defensive performance to a 31-17 victory over South Carolina.

UNC generated nine sacks – more than half of its 2022 total (17). The ground game racked up 168 yards and two scores, while Drake Maye threw for over 250 yards and two touchdowns.

Because of their respective roles in the Tar Heels’ win, British Brooks and Kaimon Rucker earned ACC Player of the Week honors.

Brooks, named ACC Running Back of the Week, led the Heels’ ground game with a game-high 103 rushing yards on 15 carries. This game was an emotional return for Brooks, who played his first game since 2021.

Rucker, tabbed defensive lineman of the week, led all players with 5.5 tackles for loss and tied for a game-high two sacks.

Both Brooks and Rucker helped UNC start 1-0 for the second consecutive season. They’re now preparing for their first home game of 2023, as the Tar Heels prepare to host App State on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 5:15 p.m.

There was some history made when the two in-state rivals matched up last year, with Carolina prevailing in a high-scoring affair.

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Brooks leads four Tar Heels with Player of the Game honors in win vs. Gamecocks

British Brooks, Kaimon Rucker, Ryan Coe and Ben Kiernan all earned Player of the Game honors for their role in UNC’s Saturday victory.

It’s been an amazing Labor Day weekend for the UNC football program and its fans.

That all started Saturday night, when an experienced but revamped Tar Heel squad stifled South Carolina, 31-17, in the season opener for both teams under the bright lights of Bank of America Stadium.

There were so many positives from UNC, particularly with the defensive unit that was one of college football’s worst in 2022. The Tar Heels’ defensive generated nine sacks – more than half the 2022 total (17) – and held the Gamecocks to just three second half points.

UNC running back British Brooks, playing in his first game since 2021, showed no signs of rust. He gained a game-high 103 rushing yards on 15 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per carry. This earned him the Tar Heels’ Offensive Player of the Game.

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There were so many Tar Heels who could’ve earned Defensive Player of the Game, but that honor went to starting Jack linebacker Kaimon Rucker. It’s easy to see why Rucker was picked – he led all UNC defensive players with six solo tackles, including a game-high 5.5 for loss, plus tied for the team lead with two sacks.

The Tar Heels’ special team were pretty solid, too, which earned new transfer kicker Ryan Coe and longtime punter Ben Kiernan Special Teams Player of the Game honors. Coe kicked a 37-yard field goal and was a perfect 4/4 on extra points, while Kiernan punted twice for 85 yards.

UNC has another tough test coming up on Saturday, Sept. 9, as it welcomes App State to Kenan Stadium for its home opener. We all remember what happened last time these two squads played…

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Kaimon Rucker and Elijah Green were named to 2023 Wuerffel Trophy watch list

North Carolina Tar Heels Kaimon Rucker and Elijah Green were named to the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy watchlist.

North Carolina Tar Heels [autotag]Kaimon Rucker[/autotag] and [autotag]Elijah Green[/autotag] were named to the 2023 Wuerffel Trophy watchlist.

The announcement came Thursday from the Wuerffel Foundation, sending out a watch list for the award containing 108 collegiate football players. The Wuerffel Trophy is given to players who show leadership on and off the field, impacting their community and teammates.

Rucker and Green add to the recent pool of Tar Heels being named to the preseason watch list. Last season, Rucker received the ACC Top Six in Service Award due to his work off the field.

It speaks volumes to the talent and character currently rostered, giving fans hope that an exciting season is ahead.

Both players spent time visiting the UNC Children’s Hospital last year and are Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) members.

The award has been around since 2005, and if either Rucker or Green were to earn the honor, they would become the first Tar Heel to do so.

 

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Twitter predicts who will lead UNC football in sacks this season

Defensive line has been a talented – but underperfoming – unit for the UNC football team. Tar Heel fans predict who will step up this year.

Defensive line has been somewhat of an underperforming spot for the University of North Carolina football team in recent years.

Despite nabbing four and 5-star in-state recruits like Keeshawn Silver (now with Kentucky), Desmond Evans and Travis Shaw, the sack totals are nowhere near what they should be for this talented defensive unit.

Kaimon Rucker and Noah Taylor led UNC with 3.5 sacks apiece in 2022. Shaw nor Evans recorded a single sack.

College offenses tend to run the spread offense more, so lower sack totals are understandable. With guys like Evans and Shaw on the defensive line, though, higher totals are expected.

Let’s take a look at Great Day Tar Heel and see who fans think will lead Carolina in sacks this fall:

According to Ourlads NFL Scouting Services, UNC’s starting defensive line will be Evans, defensive tackle Myles Murphy and nose tackle Kevin Hester Jr. Jacolbe Cowan and Beau Atkinson back up Evans on the outside, Jahvaree Ritzee and Kedrick Bingley-Jones slot in behind Murphy, while Shaw and Tomari Fox slide in behind Hester.

There will be plenty opportunity for UNC players to generate sacks in the fall. It wouldn’t be surprising to see defensive coordinator Gene Chizik list his D-line starters for one game (say, the Sept. 9 home opener against App State), then rotate everyone in throughout the game. This strategy would allow everyone to keep fresh legs and give Chizik an idea of who his top contributors are.

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Rucker’s dedication to community lands him on Good Works Team

UNC jack linebacker Kaimon Rucker was recently nominated for Allstate’s AFCA Good Works team, given to someone who serves the community.

Kaimon Rucker is expected to be another leader on the Tar Heel football squad’s defense this season.

Carolina’s “jack” linebacker, who primarily rushes the passer but can also drop back in coverage when needed, enters year four in Chapel Hill. He’s started 15/37 games over his first three collegiate seasons, recording a 37-tackle (seven for loss), 3.5-sack, 8-pressure, two forced fumbles and one pass breakup last year.

Not only is Rucker a talented football player, he’s also quite the gentlemen off the field.

On Wednesday, July 12, Rucker was nominated for Allstate’s AFCA Good Works Team. According to GoHeels.com, this award is given to someone who is both a talented student-athlete and shows dedication to their respective community.

If Rucker is selected as a winner, he will join 10 other FBS players, 11 players from Division I, II, III and NAIA, plus one head coach.

Rucker’s spent time in Chapel Hill with multiple charitable causes. According to GoHeels.com, he spoke at UNC’s Mental Health Symposium, participated in the Extra Yard for Teachers, UNC Children’s Hospital visits, the Boomerang after school program, elementary school field days, youth football camps and various other charitable activities.

While there’s a little over a month until Rucker and the Gridiron Heels kick off 2023 in Bank of America Stadium against South Carolina (Saturday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. on ABC), it’s nice to see players – who we only physically see on gamedays – get recognized for their off-the-field work.

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UNC’s Kaimon Rucker among highest-graded edge rushers returning in ACC

UNC football edge rusher Kaimon Rucker is among the highest-graded players returning at his position in the ACC.

During the 2022 season, North Carolina’s defense got off to a slow start despite the team going 9-1 in the first 10 games. There were problems with the defense not getting much pressure on the opposing quarterback and giving up too many big plays.

Going into this season, the task is on Gene Chizik to fix that and not waste an offense that will be led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Drake Maye.

Among the returners for Chizik on that defense is edge rusher Kaimon Rucker who had a big year in 2022. Now, going into this season Rucker is among the highest-graded edge rushers returning in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Pro Football Focus had Rucker No. 2 with a grade of 84.1:

The only player ahead of Rucker on the list is Miami’s Akheem Mesidor who graded out at 87.1 last season.

Rucker along with linebacker Cedric Gray will look to carry North Carolina’s front seven. It’s clear the Tar Heels have to get better at rushing the passer and Rucker will have to play a large role in doing that.

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Kaimon Rucker among top returning edge rushers per PFF

UNC football edge rusher Kaimon Rucker is among the top returners at his position in college football by Pro Football Focus.

North Carolina’s defense is hoping to take the next step under coordinator Gene Chizik in 2023. And it will do so with a bit of a new look.

After a shaky start to the 2022 campaign, the Tar Heels started to figure things out towards the end of the season. But some familiar names are gone and now Chizik will have the task of getting this unit to play well and not spoil another season from Drake Maye and the offense.

Among the returners for the Tar Heels is edge rusher Kaimon Rucker, a player that has developed into one of UNC’s best pass rushers. And now he’s being listed as one of the best-returning edge rushers in the country.

Pro Football Focus released its highest-graded edge rushers returning in 2023 and Rucker was No. 9 with a 84.1 grade:

Rucker is the second-highest graded edge rusher returning in the ACC behind only Miami’s Akheem Mesidor at No. 5 with an 87.1 grade.

If Rucker can get even better in 2023, the Tar Heels defense should be able to take that next step.

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Notre Dame vs. North Carolina: First-Quarter Analysis

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On the eve of Halloween, Notre Dame and North Carolina are locked in a tight battle in South Bend. Initially, neither side did much of anything to separate itself from the other. Then, the Irish broke through, and they have a 7-0 lead after one quarter.

The Irish had the opening possession and picked up a couple of first downs on it. That progress was halted around midfield when Jack Coan was sacked Kaimon Rucker on third down. The Tar Heels’ first possession was almost identical. They also earned two first downs before stalling out near midfield, though their drive ended on an incomplete pass.

Kyren Williams returned Ben Kiernan’s first punt 47 yards to set the Irish up in Tar Heels territory. This time, the Irish focused on the run, and it paid off with gains from Williams, Tyler Buchner and, believe it or not, Coan. Much of Coan’s progress was wiped out on a false start, but Buchner still hit Avery Davis for a 7-yard touchdown on a screen pass.

Faced with an early deficit, the Tar Heels took the ball back with new life. With a balanced attack, they reached Irish territory for the first time. The quarter ended when Sam Howell hit Josh Downs for 40 yards to give the Tar Heels a first-and-goal, then ran himself to get his team closer:  The 3-yard line to be exact. That goose egg on the scoreboard doesn’t appear it will last much longer.