North Dakota was dealt a tough blow on Friday evening. Star senior defensive end Lance Rucker suffered a foot injury during practice just six days before the Hawks are set to kick off their 2026 season against LIU next Thursday night. Rucker, who is one of the FCS’s top defensive players, is expected by many to be a contender for this year’s Buck Buchanan Award. The school will reportedly update his status on their official injury report as early as Monday. Rucker is not expected to miss the entirety
of the season though an exact timetable for his return is undetermined.
In 2025 Rucker was UND’s most productive player on that side of the ball. He was a first-team All-Missouri Valley selection after piling up 64 total tackles and 15 tackles for loss along with a program single-season record 11.5 sacks as well as four forced fumbles. He was a major piece on a Hawks team that reached the second round of the playoffs last fall. North Dakota expects to get at least that far again this year as they check in at #10 in the preseason polls.
Early reports indicated that he had suffered a broken ankle at practice on Friday morning but that has not been confirmed. Per Tom Miller of the Grand Forks Herald, Rucker was seen walking off the field under his own power following the injury. The school nor any of its personnel have released a statement regarding the extent of Rucker’s injury at this time.
North Dakota will welcome in LIU at 8:00 PM (ET) on Thursday.
