Cadet Kouri Crump ’26, VMI football player, was named the recipient of the prestigious Defender of the Nation Award. Crump, his family, and select teammates attended the Bronko Nagurski Banquet presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, where he was officially presented with the award Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.—Photo courtesy VMI Athletics.
In October, Kouri Crump ’26, VMI football player, was named the recipient of the prestigious Defender of the Nation Award. Crump, his family, and select teammates attended the Bronko Nagurski Banquet presented by the Charlotte Touchdown Club, where he was officially presented with the award Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.
“Back in October when I first received the award, man, obviously I was very grateful, but it was during the season, I was kind of just locked in and focused on winning, and I kind of really didn’t have a real understanding of how big and prestigious this award was,” Crump said. “As time got closer and closer toward the award ceremony, I learned more and more about it each day.”
The season came and went, but the veteran safety finished strong, second to only his teammate, Stephen Dean III ’26, in tackles, with 83.0 on the year. Leading up to the event, Crump made sure his biggest fans would be in attendance. He brought not only his family, but his brother rats, Dean and Tyrel Dobson ’26.
“I really wanted my family there,” Crump said. “And on top of that, I wanted the guys who’ve been with me through the 4 years, who went through the Rat Line with me. So that’s why I brought down Stephen and Tyrel.”
Everyone got into town on Sunday, and Kouri, a Charlotte native, was able to take Dean and Dobson by his house before a dinner, where the trio met NFL legends such as Mike McCoy.
“Kouri’s Defender of the Nation award was a great opportunity to meet some of the greats within this sport,” Dean said. “We’re happy we were able to support him while he earned this prestigious award; this is just the beginning for him.”
“It was an amazing experience to be able to support your best friend in winning a prestigious award,” said Dobson. “It is not very often VMI football players are acknowledged for their success on the field. It was nice to see all his hard work and dedication pay off. It was awesome to be in uniform, showing off to the world what a VMI cadet is. A lot of people we talked to never heard of VMI, so it was great to bring awareness. It was also great to show the unity that VMI builds with your teammates.”
Monday morning commenced with breakfast shared alongside none other than Ron Rivera, longtime Carolina Panthers head coach. Later, Crump and his teammates would meet different award honorees such as Leonard Moore (Notre Dame) and Jacob Rodriguez (Texas Tech).
“I was always a Panthers fan growing up, so seeing Ron Rivera was like, oh my goodness. I was kind of starstruck a little bit, but we had good conversation,” said Crump. “We talked about the state of college football today and the NFL, as well, along with Tyrel, Stephen, and my father. Then I met Jacob Rodriguez and Leonard Moore during breakfast, and they were just really good people, really good men of God. It was just a blessing to meet them. They were all like-minded in the same way that they attacked football and they attacked life.”
After breakfast, there was a high school forum in which Crump, Rivera, Moore, and Rodriguez were the featured speakers, giving Crump a chance to chat with prospective college athletes about his experiences.
“It was just cool to talk to those guys and allow them to pick our brains about life,” said Crump. “They’re going through a process, and it’s a huge change, so it was a blessing to be able to talk to them and shout out VMI on the national stage. For me, coming home and talking to those high school kids, it was like a full-circle moment.”
After lunch and other activities came the awards banquet Monday evening, where Crump would officially be presented with the Defender of the Nation trophy, giving him an opportunity to thank those who helped him along the way.
“I learned probably about a week or so before that I had to give a speech. I watched the guy from last year give a speech who did very well, so I looked at that and looked more in depth about the award,” said Crump. “The award said it was for academic excellence and athletic achievement in a military environment, which is similar to the three-legged stool. Each leg is very vital, so I made it a point to thank those closest to me and give credit to VMI for giving me the platform to be in a position like that.”
From there, it was showtime. The ballroom was packed, and two VMI tables were filled with Crump’s family, teammates, and Pat Brown, defensive backs coach. “I want to thank Coach Brown for coming down there and showing support,” Crump said. “I really appreciate him and the Institute for everything.”
Crump’s name was called, and it was his time to speak, delivering the message he had crafted in the days leading up to the event, recognizing those who helped him along the way and those in attendance. As the fall semester wound down, Crump had finally had a little time to reflect on the experience. The theme was the same as his speech: Gratitude and blessings.
“Looking back on it, I can just say that everybody involved in the experience was amazing and they were a blessing,” said Crump. “My little brother and all my family enjoyed this experience. They were looking around like oh, wow, this is amazing. I want to thank the Charlotte Touchdown Club for everything that they’ve done for me and just selecting me for the award. It’s just been a blessing.”
For his career, Crump totaled 187.0 stops, 11.5 TFLs, nine passes defended, four forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks. He certainly left his mark.
Editor’s Note: This article was first published at vmikeydets.com.
