With a chip on his shoulder, Kaimon Rucker prepares to lead UNC football's defense

On the second floor of UNC’s football facility, Kaimon Rucker’s life changed while eating a plate of barbecue. 

With his wife, Sally Brown, in tow, head coach Mack Brown approached the edge rusher and his family in the indoor cafeteria in 2019. After traveling to Chapel Hill for the first time for a recruiting camp, Rucker received a full-ride offer to UNC on the spot. 

The head coach looked Rucker in the eyes and acknowledged the young player’s talent. The type of talent not crafted naturally, but rather from years spent combating doubts with extra reps.

And while every Division I commitment story is arguably life-changing, for an undersized Rucker who only received interest from one other Power 5 school, this opportunity from a Hall of Famer like Brown meant everything. 

“He took a shot on me,” Rucker said. “Nobody else did but him. He trusted me early on. Before I even had trust in myself, he trusted me.”

And Brown’s chance on the three-star paid off. During his senior season last year, Rucker posted 61 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. The rusher ranked fourth in the ACC in TFL and sacks, pushing him to second-team All-ACC honors. Under a completely new defense led by coordinator Geoff Collins, Rucker is looking to set a new standard at UNC as the most vocal leader in the unit during his fifth and final season. 

But becoming that leader dates back to days in the small city of Hartwell, Ga. 

After playing football since age seven, Rucker fully fell in love with the game after transitioning from playing on the offensive line to outside linebacker before his junior year of high school. 

With a revitalized passion for the game and obvious talent in the position, Rucker began to believe he could develop a football career that continued past high school. But at 6-foot-2-inches and only weighing 265 pounds, the rusher’s size was atypical for the stature associated with disrupting offenses and pressuring the quarterback. 

So, almost every coach at big-time programs turned their heads away from Rucker.

As a person of faith, Rucker loved the story of David and Goliath. To him, the tale is the epitome of the underdog story. While David had the heart of a lion, few suspected that he could conquer the giant. 

Rucker reminded himself of that story a lot in high school. 

“At first, college football [coaches] looked at me and it was just like, ‘He does not really need to be qualified on that level,’” Rucker said. “‘He doesn’t fit the prototype. He’s short, he’s this, he’s that.’ And it was just like, for me, I don’t really care what y’all say. I don’t care what y’all think about me.”

Rest days turned into reps. In the summertime, Rucker developed practice schedules with his dad, Kendell, to maximize speed training, lift sessions and agility work. 

After practice, Rucker consumed film. He challenged himself to imitate Bob Miller’s speed and incorporate Reggie White’s "hump move" into his arsenal. From Lawrence Taylor to John Randle, Rucker studied them all.

And although people supplied him with a steady stream of critiques, Rucker kept pushing until that day Brown approached him in the cafeteria. The head coach saw what other people didn’t. 

“He has a chip on his shoulder everyday because everybody told him he was too little,” Brown said. “And I think that’s a great advantage.” 

At UNC, he’s able to duck 6-foot-8-inch tackles and cause chaos. When he’s rushing, he knows how to attack the hip and force himself under players. Rucker also knows how to switch his hands to become even more lethal. According to sophomore offensive lineman Howard Sampson, his power alone is hard to manage. 

With that chip on his shoulder, Rucker brings everyone up with him.

Sampson has been picking the rusher’s brain to improve his skills. On days when practice ends at 6 p.m., Rucker is there over an hour later helping other players out. 

“He’s a freak,” Sampson said. 

And as the Tar Heels enter the season unranked and with the projection to finish eighth in the ACC, Rucker is working to prove these predictions wrong. 

But he’s fine with the low expectations. He’s more than comfortable being the underdog. 

@_emmahmoon

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com