Rucker Named To Man Of The Year Award Watch List

CHAPEL HILL – The watch list for the eighth annual Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year was announced Thursday, a group that includes North Carolina's Kaimon Rucker among 52 of the nation's top leaders in college football.

The student-athletes, all nominated by their schools, have all demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.

On the field, Rucker was an All-ACC performer last season after totaling 61 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. For his career, the graduate student has tallied 154 tackles, 32.5 for a loss, and 17 sacks in 51 appearances.

Off the field, he has been even more impressive, volunteering at numerous community events, including a personal hygiene seminar at his elementary school, the UNC Mental Health Symposium, Boomerang after school care program, and many more.

Rucker won the 2022-23 ACC Top Six in Service Award for outstanding dedication to community service and outreach programs and is on the 2024 Watch List for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.

Twenty semifinalists will be announced on October 22. Three finalists will be named for the award on Monday, December 16. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on February 12, 2025.

The award, presented by Albertsons and Tom Thumb, is the first college football honor to focus primarily on a player's leadership, both on and off the field. Leadership is a term synonymous with Jason Witten, who, in addition to becoming one of the best tight ends in the history of the sport, served as one of football's most prominent role models during his 16-yar pro career. In addition to winning the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award in 2012, Witten also received the Bart Starr Award, Pro Football Weekly's Humanitarian of the Year Award, Home Depot NFL Neighborhood MVP and the Bob Lilly Award, among many others. All of those honors have recognized his work in the community, achievements on the field and dedication to his teammates and family.

The winner of the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will also receive a $10,000 contribution in his name to his school's athletic scholarship fund. The contribution will be made by Jason Witten's SCORE Foundation, the official charity of Jason and his wife Michelle. The SCORE Foundation, founded in 2007, has positively impacted tens of thousands of children and families in Texas and Tennessee over the last 16 years. The foundation operates its nationally-recognized SCOREkeepers program, which places trained male mentors on staff to work with children at family violence shelters, at nine shelters in the two states.

For up-to-date information on Carolina football, visit GoHeels.com/Football and follow us on Twitter (@UNCFootball), Instagram (@uncfootball) and Facebook (Facebook.com/TarHeelFootball).

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Kaimon Rucker

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