October 14, 2025

Defender of the Nation Award Player Profile Tyler Banks

Ole Miss’ Tyler Banks
6’ 2” 245 lbs., Blackstone, VA

Athletic & Academic Honors
2025 Chucky Mullins Award Winner
Athletic Director’s Honor Roll (Spring 2023)
2025 (SENIOR): Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner, will wear No. 38 all season … Named to SEC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

2024 (JUNIOR): Played all 13 games for the Rebels, primarily on special teams … Recorded 14 total tackles (seven solo) with 1.0 TFL and one QB hurry … vs. Furman (08/31/24): Notched one QB hurry in 53 total snaps across defense and special teams … vs. Middle Tennessee (09/07/24): Tallied three tackles and one TFL in 29 total snaps … at Wake Forest (9/14/24): Recorded two tackles in 25 snaps played … vs. Georgia Southern (09/21/24): Assisted on two tackles, played 35 total snaps across defense and special teams … vs. Kentucky (09/28/24): Played 20 special teams snaps … at South Carolina (10/05/24): Played 17 total snaps … at #10 LSU (10/12/24): Recorded one solo tackle, played 19 special teams snaps … vs. Oklahoma (10/26/24): Played 18 special teams snaps … at Arkansas (11/02/24): Played 33 total snaps across defense and special teams … vs. #2 Georgia (11/09/24): Played 18 special teams snaps … at Florida (11/23/24): Notched one solo tackle in 24 special teams snaps … vs. Mississippi State (11/29/24): Recorded one solo tackle in 24 total snaps … vs. Duke (01/02/25): Tallied four total tackles (one solo) in 41 total snaps played across defense and special teams in Ole Miss’ Gator Bowl victory.

2023 (SOPHOMORE): Played in all 13 games, notched 309 total snaps across defense and special teams … Notched 13 total tackles (five solo), 1.0 TFL, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble … vs. Mercer (9/2/23): Tallied a career-high five total tackles (two solo) in addition to his first career TFL, fumble recovery and QB hurry in 20 defensive snaps … Led team with 21 special teams snaps … at #22 Tulane (9/9/23): Played 22 snaps on special teams … vs. Georgia Tech (9/16/23): Assisted on two tackles 21 total snaps across defense and special teams … at #12 Alabama (9/23/23): Appeared in 17 special team snaps … vs. #12 LSU (9/30/23): Played in 23 special teams snaps … vs. Arkansas (10/7/23): Participated in 20 snaps on special teams … at Auburn (10/21/23): Appeared in 20 special teams snaps … vs. Vanderbilt (10/28/23): Posted a forced fumble and two solo tackles in 25 snaps across defense and special teams … vs. Texas A&M (11/4/23): Played 22 special teams snaps … at #1 Georgia (11/11/23): Played 21 total snaps across defense and special teams … vs. ULM (11/18/23): Notched three tackles (one solo) in 27 total snaps across defense and special teams … at Mississippi State (11/23/23): Assisted on one tackle in 24 total special teams snaps … vs. Penn State (12/30/23): Played 26 special teams snaps in Ole Miss’ Peach Bowl victory.

2022 (FRESHMAN): Appeared in all 13 games, primarily on special teams … Logged 22 snaps on defense as a reserve linebacker and 143 on special teams … Tallied four total tackles on the season … vs. Troy (9/3/22): Played 10 snaps on special teams, including five on kickoff coverage and five on punt returns … vs. Central Arkansas (9/10/22): Assisted on three tackles playing as a linebacker and on special teams … at Georgia Tech (9/17/22): Made one tackle as a rotational linebacker and special teams member for the Rebels … vs. Tulsa (9/24/22): Appeared on the kickoff coverage unit for the Rebels … vs. #7 Kentucky (10/1/22): Appeared on the Rebel kickoff coverage and punt return units … at Vanderbilt (10/8/22): Appeared on multiple special teams units, as well as checking in at linebacker … vs. Auburn (10/15/22): Saw all of his action come on special teams for the Rebels … at LSU (10/22/22): Logged all of his playing time on special teams … at Texas A&M (10/29/22): Saw action on multiple special teams units for the Rebels … vs. #9 Alabama (11/12/22): Saw time on the Rebels’ field goal block unit … at Arkansas (11/19/22): Made appearances on special teams packages for the Rebels … vs. Mississippi State (11/24/22): Logged a total of eight snaps of action for the Rebels playing on the team’s punt return and field goal block units … vs. Texas Tech (12/28/22): Lined up on 20 snaps on special teams … Member of the 2021-22 signing class.

High School/Personal
Rated a three-star prospect by 247 Sports Composite and Rivals … Rated No. 91 athlete by 247 Sports Composite … Ranked No. 25 in Virginia by Rivals and No. 31 by 247 Sports Composite … Led Nottoway Cougars to 11-1 record and 7-0 record in James River Conference in 2021 … Reached quarterfinals of Division 2A Playoffs in 2021 …Three-year team captain … VHSLA All-Region in 2021 … Also played basketball in high school … Chose Ole Miss over Michigan, California, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech among others … Coached by Glen Pettis.
Full name is Tyler Montgomery Banks … Born Oct. 24, 2003 … Son of Joseph and Alma Banks … Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in spring 2023 … Computer science major.

Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin: “Banks shows up every day for his teammates on the field, and he’s even proven it lately off the field to show up for people. I think it’s a tremendous story of him still being here and fighting through adversity and everything not going exactly the way maybe he wanted it to when he came out of high school, which is what’s going to happen the rest of your life. It’s not gonna go the way you want it to. And all (Banks) does is continue to show up, continue to battle, continue to improve his place and play whatever role it is, whatever field it is, whatever special teams it is.”

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 6: Ole Miss / Tyler Banks
• October 23: Defender of the Nation Recipient Announced