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Kevin Burkett ’25 says being an offensive lineman is like being the air conditioner: “You only notice when we’re not working.”

But Burkett, an offensive lineman on the ���ϲ����� football team and an engineering major, is getting a lot of notice. In 2024, Burkett made the All-CAA first team and was ranked as the top pass-protecting offensive lineman in FCS football by Pro Football Focus. In 2025, he was selected as the , only the third ���ϲ����� student-athlete to receive the award.

Scholar-athlete exemplified

The CAA Football Scholar-Athlete of the Year is chosen based on a vote of the conference’s athletic directors. Nominees awarded must have senior standing academically, with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0.

“When I get an award, I view it as we get it for the whole O-line room,” said Burkett. “It just shows the amount of care, dedication and the insane amount of time we put in together. It’s not my award, it’s our award.”

Burkett, who was also valedictorian of Gatlinburg-Pittman High School in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has been a member of the CAA Commissioner’s Academy Honor Roll for six semesters and was chosen for the CSC Academic All-District team in 2022.

“Kevin Burkett exemplifies what it means to be a scholar-athlete, balancing the demands of a rigorous engineering curriculum with consistent excellence on the football field,” said Cayce Crenshaw, associate athletic director for academics. “His commitment to learning, leadership, and service, both on campus and beyond, sets him apart as a role model within our community.”

His desire to study engineering first began in high school when a teacher highlighted his aptitude for calculus. Engineering classes during his first year of ���ϲ����� helped to form a love for the field, particularly his manufacturing engineering course.

Service through engineering

Burkett comes from a family of hard workers, his father is in construction and his grandfather was a stone mason. Both instilled in him a similar passion, which is why he plans to work in civil engineering.

“As a young kid, I loved building with legos and I loved playing Minecraft and you do a lot of building in that,” said Burkett. “It’s just the whole concept of building and making things work in tandem to create a structure, I’ve always been drawn to it.”

The Department of Engineering curriculum has allowed Burkett to make an impact with his education. During his Engineering Design for Service course, Burkett and his classmates created accessible lunch trays for children at the Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh.

“We actually got to show it to kids, they were able to feel it and they loved it,” said Burkett. “Seeing their feedback and seeing their faces light up and working with them and seeing we’re actually doing things that are impacting people, it was eye-opening.”

This semester, he and several classmates in the Senior Engineering Design course have developed a gate system for the Burlington Animal Park at the Conservator’s Center, which they presented during the Spring Undergraduate Research Forum in April – Burkett’s second time presenting.

Kevin Burkett exemplifies what it means to be a scholar-athlete, balancing the demands of a rigorous engineering curriculum with consistent excellence on the football field.

Cayce Crenshaw, associate athletic director for academics

Grace and grit

His work on the field has been equally impressive, starting 44 out of his 45 career games for the Phoenix, including every contest over his final three years. For Burkett, this past year has stood out to him the most; the team was eyeing a CAA championship but finished the season 6-6 overall and 5-3 in CAA play. While that was disappointing, Burkett says the fight in the team, particularly in the second half of the season, helped them end on a strong note nonetheless.

“The togetherness of the team at that point of the year, it was what I’ve always wanted in a team, being a team that’s so drawn together,” he said. “It doesn’t matter what people are saying, doesn’t matter the circumstances around us. We’re in this 100% and there’s nothing that’s going to stop us from doing that.”

His love for football began in kindergarten and that dedication and passion has shown through.

“Kevin Burkett is one of the most talented and selfless players I’ve ever coached,” said Head Football Coach Tony Trisciani. “He is very talented, but his success as a student-athlete is about his dedication, discipline and determination. Engineering degrees combined with Division I football rarely make it to the finish line. Kevin proved that he can balance academics and athletics with grace and grit.”

While Burkett will have a solid ���ϲ����� education and a future in civil engineering, he is hoping for a shot at the NFL in the coming years.

“There are so many life lessons I’ve learned playing football,” he said. “It’s shaped a lot of how I think about life, how I approach situations and how I treat my family and friends. It’s been a constant in my life and it might not be a constant anymore. I’m excited to see what takes its spot.”