October 20, 2025

Defender of the Nation Award Player Profile Ethan Johnson

App State’s Ethan Johnson
5’ 11” 195 lbs., Huntersville, NC
Athletic Bio
Career entering 2025: Appeared in 34 games, starting 26 at cornerback … Enters 2025 with 97 tackles, one interception and 16 passes defended.

2024: Appeared in all 11 games, starting 10 at cornerback … Finished season with 25 tackles and three pass breakups … Responsible for a forced fumble against ECU, along with a QB hurry … Had a season-high four tackles against Georgia State, followed by two three-tackle performances against Marshall and Coastal Carolina.

2023: All-Sun Belt second team by the league … Started all 14 games at cornerback … Finished season with 56 tackles (42 solo), one interception, 11 pass breakups (sixth-most in the Sun Belt) and four tackles for loss … Made big interception, had two PBUs and allowed a completion percentage of just 35.7 while being targeted with 14 passes in the win at JMU to earn Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week honors … Led team and all Sun Belt defenders with 953 defensive snaps … Season-high nine stops against Coastal Carolina … Among 20 Sun Belt corners targeted with at least 50 passes, ranked sixth with a coverage grade of 76.4 by PFF and ninth with a completion percentage of 58.3.
2022: Appeared in nine games and made two starts at defensive back as a true freshman … Started at corner in the finale against Georgia Southern and as one of three cornerbacks on the field to begin the Texas State game before leaving it with an early injury and missing the next three games … Totaled 16 tackles (13 solo) and one pass breakup … Season-high seven tackles at Georgia Southern (all solo) with one breakup and six catches allowed on 11 targets.

High School: Had three interceptions and 32 tackles as a senior for a Hough team that went 14-1 and reached a 4-A state semifinal … Part of a dominant defense that allowed less than 20 points in all 14 wins, gave up single-digit points in eight wins and produced two shutouts … Intercepted passes in wins against Myers Park, North Meck and Mallard Creek before posting a season-high six tackles in the state semifinal loss to Chambers … Played for coach Matthew Jenkins at Hough as a senior … Father, Elando, played at App State (1994-97) and was teammates with his brother, Elijah, who played at App State from 2019-22.

The recipient of the Defender of the Nation Award will be announced on October 23 from one of the nation’s 15 distinguished military academies and ROTC programs. These include:

• United States Air Force Academy
• Appalachian State University
• Auburn University
• The Citadel
• United States Coast Guard Academy
• Michigan State University
• United States Naval Academy
• Norwich University
• University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
• Texas A&M University
• Virginia Tech
• Virginia Military Institute (VMI)
• University of South Carolina
• Villanova University
• United States Military Academy (West Point)
This prestigious award honors a student-athlete who demonstrates exceptional leadership on the field, in the classroom, and within the community. The recipient must also uphold a high standard of integrity and lead by example.

In conjunction with the Football Writers Association of America, the 2025 Bronko Nagurski Awards Banquet will take place on Monday, December 8, at the Charlotte Convention Center.
The evening will honor several of college football’s finest, including:

• The Defender of the Nation Award recipient.
• The prestigious Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner.
• The 2025 Legends Award honoree: Ron Rivera, University of California-Berkely, Class of 1983, alumnus and esteemed NFL coach.
In addition, University of Oklahoma legendary linebacker Brian Bosworth is slated to deliver the keynote address.
This annual banquet is a celebration of excellence in college football, recognizing standout performances, leadership, and integrity both on and off the field.

ABOUT THE CHARLOTTE TOUCHDOWN CLUB
The Charlotte Touchdown Club, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1990,is dedicated to promoting the full spectrum of football and athletics–from youth and middle school to high school, collegiate, and professional–throughout the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Since its inception, the Club has experienced significant growth and diversification, now supported by a sponsor team of more than 75 companies. The Club’s initiatives focus on celebrating and elevating Citizenship, Scholarship, Sportsmanship, and Leadership among area athletes and coaches. Through generous individual and corporate contributions, the Charlotte Touchdown Club has raised and donated over $3 million to support its ongoing scholarship programs.

ABOUT CAPITAL GROUP OF COMPANIES
Rick Hughes has a successful 46-year track record in the automotive finance and insurance industry. Rick worked with publicly held NY Stock Exchange companies, setting up their F&I Programs. Rick worked with Sonic Automotive on setting up their F&I Program, with NCADA to form and market their NC Life program and industry-leading programs to increase dealer revenue. Prior to starting Capital Automotive, Rick was the Director of Business Development for one of the world’s largest automotive finance product and service companies. Rick coordinated various international field forces, presented at BSF and CEO Ninety, and personally developed hundreds of successful dealership personnel. As CEO of the Capital Companies, he created Flex-Pro, a patented program which allows an additional income stream coupled with products, insurance, and reinsurance administrative services. The Capital Companies refers to four unique companies: Capital Benefits Group—Structures custom benefit options based on your business needs, Capital Automotive—Gives dealerships the edge they need to meet and exceed their goals, Capital Processing Systems—Provides state-of-the-art products, administration, insurance and reinsurance services to complement dealership and shareholder financial goals, and Data Dot Dealer Services—Least expensive, most effective anti-theft deterrent ever created. We are a group of companies that work together to help dealers capitalize on their investments. We keep our clients in the game and moving toward the goal line through our consumer and client-centric products and administrative services.

ABOUT VETERANS BRIDGE HOME
Veterans Bridge Home connects Veterans and their families, in any state of transition, to the community. Through our network of partners, we help Veterans navigate employment, create social connections, and settle their families. We look at the whole Veteran and connect them to the resources needed to be successful and thriving leaders in our community. Veterans Bridge Home serves as an entry point for Veterans who don’t know where to turn to access support and services. Because Veterans return home to a civilian community and not to federal agencies or bureaucracies, each community must reach out and actively assist in the reintegration process alongside federal agencies such as the Veterans Administration. The Carolinas have the opportunity and privilege to help bring our nation’s warriors and their families home with the same energy and commitment that our Veterans have displayed in serving our nation. In so doing, ours will serve as a leader to inform other communities that wish to create more welcoming and livable communities for returning Veterans and their families.

PREVIOUS DEFENDER OF THE NATION AWARD RECIPIENTS
2024 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Shayne Leddy
2023 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Trey Taylor
2022 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Dax Hollifield
2021 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Arik Smith
2019 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Kyle Johnson
2018 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Sean Williams
2017 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Greg Sanders
2016 Defender of The Nation Award Recipient: Andrew King

2025 DEFENDER OF THE NATION PLAYER PROFILES
• September 4: USAF / Aidan Swartz
• September 8: South Carolina / Jalon Kilgore
• September 11: The Citadel / Josh Cole
• September 15: Villanova / Shane Hartzell
• September 18: Texas A&M / Taurean York
• September 22: Auburn / Keldric Faulk
• September 25: Norwich / Maddox Reed
• October 8: Ole Miss / Tyler Banks
• October 10: Appalachian / Ethan Johnson
• October 23: Defender of the Nation Recipient Announced