UNC football player hoping to go NFL donates NIL proceeds to Western North Carolina
North Carolina’s Kaimon Rucker, a defensive end on the football team, has found different ways to generate money by using his name, image and likeness.
Rucker, a graduate from Hartwell, Georgia, also has found a different way to use it: donating $10,000 to the MANNA FoodBank in Asheville to help victims of the storm Helene.
“For me, it was heartbreaking to see towns and places that people cherished so much now suffering,” Rucker said when the donation was announced in October. “And I thought to myself, why not use my platform from the NIL I earn here to give back to the people who truly need it?”
Wells Fargo soon committed a matching donation of $10,000, and Food Lion Feeds announced it would donate 10,000 meals to the MANNA FoodBank, in Rucker’s name.
Rucker has been named one of three finalists for the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award, given for courage, integrity and leadership on and off the football field. (The winner will be named in February.)
Nicknamed “The Butcher,” Rucker was one of UNC’s best defenders and could be NFL caliber despite being slowed this season by an early knee injury. Rucker also suffered a broken leg in the Tar Heels’ final regular-season game, a 35-30 loss to N.C. State..
Rucker recently used his social media platforms to announce he was declaring for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Rucker raised some of his NIL money by selling merchandise online through the Carolina NIL collective. Rucker’s father, Kendell, attended Mars Hill University outside Asheville and the massive devastation caused by Helene resulted in him wanting to help.
“My thoughts and prayers are with not only the people of Western North Carolina, but also the entire towns that have been affected by Hurricane Helene,” Rucker said in a statement. “This is just a small drop in a big pond of support for everyone, but we are praying for you and we are still supporting you as you build back from what the hurricane took from all of you.”
