Navy’s Kush’i Abraham Nominated For Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award

DALLAS (FWAA) — Navy’s Kush’i Abraham is this week’s nominee for the 2024 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. Abraham, a sophomore safety, was homeless during different parts of his childhood and overcame an unstable upbringing to become a member of the Naval Academy’s football team.

“You read stories of people just going one more day, and at some point you don’t think that can be you,” Abraham said in September in a video feature produced by the Academy. “But you can be a part of those stories and yours can help make an impact on other people.

“I love that saying: ‘Just one more day.’ I get one more day to smile. I get one more day to enjoy a laugh with one more person.”

Abraham grew up without a permanent home on the east side of Cincinnati. He lived in at least eight different places, was homeless going into his junior year of high school, and even lived in the car for several weeks.

As a teenager, he worked at McDonald’s, at a golf course and at a supermarket. He is the fourth of five children to his mother but has not kept in touch with anyone from his family, essentially raising himself.

Kali Jones, the head football coach at Withrow High, served as a mentor to Abraham, along with several other coaches and teachers at the school. Navy defensive coordinator P.J. Volker, a Cincinnati native himself, noticed film of Abraham while scrolling on his phone at an airport and reached out to him, kick-starting Abraham’s recruitment.

Abraham graduated in the top-10 of his high school class. He became a follower of Christ his senior year and was baptized shortly after committing to Navy.

The 5-foot-9, 186-pound Abraham appeared in six games for the Midshipmen in 2023 as a true freshman. He suffered an injury in fall camp this season but returned for the Oct. 5 game at Air Force, a 34-7 win.

Navy is 5-0 (3-0 in AAC play) and is No. 25 in this week’s AP poll, the program’s first ranking since 2019. The Mids host Charlotte on Saturday and have a chance to be 6-0 for the first time since 1979.

“This place, it is home,” Abraham said. “For some people it’s a second home. For me it’s like my first.”