Following his injury, pass rusher Kaimon Rucker, who is out for several weeks with an injury has declared that this is the most difficult moment of his life.

The Tar Heels (2-0) announced prior to their Week 2 victory over Charlotte at Kenan Stadium, 38-20, that Rucker would be having surgery this week to address a lower-body issue that would keep him out of action for some time.

Before the 49ers game on Thursday afternoon, Brown, a fifth-year defensive standout, stated after the win that he “felt something in the weight room.”

Friday was the day we found out Kaimon wouldn’t be playing, Brown stated on Monday during his weekly news conference. “Suddenly, you’re asking, ‘What are we going to do?'”

Kaimon Rucker discusses Geoff Collins’s protection.

Upon learning that he will not be participating in the game against Charlotte, All-ACC defender Rucker sent a message to his defensive teammates.

“It’s funny, Kaimon spoke to the team on Friday afternoon, and he told them, ‘I’m out of here next year, anyway. You all need to take a stand. Someone needs to start preparing to replace me in my position. This is a fantastic chance to carry it out,” Brown remarked.

Rucker, who participated in all 13 games and had a career year with 61 tackles and 8 ½ sacks, was an All-ACC performer the previous season. He sustained a finger injury earlier this year that required many months of recovery, which kept him out of most of spring practice.

Rucker recorded four tackles, including two for loss, and a sack in UNC’s Week 1 victory at Minnesota.Redshirt freshmen Tyler Thompson and Jaybron Harvey received increased playing time while Rucker was out.

“I thought they played really, really well and they did what they were supposed to do,” Brown said. “Now, we’ve got to start making game-changing plays.”

Running back Darwin Barlow and starting center Austin Blaske are also dealing with lower-body injuries and will be monitored throughout the week.

Aside from quarterback Max Johnson, who is set to return to Chapel Hill on Wednesday after recovering from season-ending surgery in Minnesota, Brown said “the guys that got injured are not out for the year.”

UNC, which is 2-0 for the third year in a row, hosts North Carolina Central on Saturday (6 p.m., ACC Network Extra) at Kenan Stadium.