UNC Football's Kaimon Rucker named to Nagurski Trophy watch list

UNC Football announced Tuesday that defensive lineman Kaimon “The Butcher” Rucker has been named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watchlist.

The Nagurski Trophy is awarded annually to the top defensive player in college football at the Division I level. The award is named after former University of Minnesota defensive tackle Bronko Nagurski, and has been presented annually since 1993.

Rucker is entering his fifth season with the Tar Heels as a graduate student. The Hartwell, Georgia native is coming off a 2023 season that earned him a spot on the second-team All-ACC squad after leading the team in tackles for losses, sacks, and quarterback pressures.

The six-foot-two pass rusher has stood out amongst his peers in Chapel Hill and has become one of the team’s greatest leaders.

Rucker started all 13 games as a senior in 2023, including a standout game against South Carolina in week one, tallying eight tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and two sacks.

Rucker has been vocal about his expectations for the UNC Football team's defense this season. At the ACC Kickoff event on July 26, Rucker spoke about what differences there will be in this year's defensive group compared to last, and how defensive coordinator Geoff Collins is helping them set new goals.

"The thing is with us, we never established a standard. We never established a bar that we needed to jump over, go over. I feel like the bar he [Collins] set on day one is, 'We want to be the best defense in college football.' From that day forward, that has been the mantra of our defense the entire time. Doesn't matter if it's winter workouts, summer workouts, conditioning, fall camp. That's something we need to hang our hat on."

If Rucker, along with the rest of the UNC Football team, keeps this mindset, we should be in for a very successful season in Chapel Hill.