Kobie Turner returned to the University of Richmond last week to serve as the commencement speaker for the class of 2026.
Turner, a team captain for the Rams in each of the past two seasons, is used to speaking in front of large groups, but getting to deliver a speech in front of nearly 840 graduates was a new experience for him, via Stu Jackson of TheRams.com:
“I don’t know that I’ve really done public speaking like that,” Turner told theRams.com. “I went to a high school and talked to their kids, or something like that, or I talked to people at a camp, but I don’t recall ever doing anything like that.
“That was crazy,” a smiling Turner added.
Take a minute to listen to @RamsNFL DE @TurnerKobie‘s Commencement speech at @urichmond.
“You are enough. There’s only one you in this world, and the world needs you as you already are.” 🩶 (via @urichmond) pic.twitter.com/t5zBDCbVFr
— NFL (@NFL) May 15, 2026
Turner attended the University of Richmond from 2018-2021 before transferring to Wake Forest to play his final year of college football in 2022.
Turner may have finished his career with the Demon Deacons, but he never forgot about the teachers and coaches who helped him accomplish his goals in Virginia:
“It kind of put me back in that mindset of being at Richmond, because everybody I feel like here thinks of Wake Forest, and I’m so grateful for that opportunity,” Turner said. “But Richmond is where I grew up, and Richmond really poured into me, like I got the most that I could out of that experience. Teachers would make exceptions so that I can go and play ball because they knew that I was serious about what I wanted to do, and I would come back and get the work done. Coaches would make exceptions so I can go and do the things, whether it be music or things that I would need to do math-wise, to be able to get those things done. And so it was really a community that poured into me, and because of that, I came out the other side knowing that I can be exactly who I am. They gave me the confidence to just be me, and I feel like that’s one of the main reasons I’ve been successful here (with the Rams).”
While at the University of Richmond, Turner double-majored in mathematics and music. He received the nickname, “The Conductor,” for his participation in several on campus performances.
Turner played guitar, organ and clarinet, and also sang baritone for the Department of Music’s Schola Cantorum. The 27-year-old has continued to pursue a career in music even as he dominates on the football field.
Across his first three seasons with the Rams, Turner has recorded 24 sacks, 43 quarterback hits, 167 combined tackles, nine passes defensed and one forced fumble in 51 games (37 starts).
Kobie Turner drew inspiration from Rams head coach Sean McVay
Turner revealed that Rams head coach Sean McVay served as the inspiration for his commencement speech:
“I thought about, obviously, a lot of the messaging that we have here, a lot of what Sean says, like he gives a good message every single team meeting,” Turner said. “So I used a lot of what’s really stuck with me from here, and then as I went back – it was really helpful for me to go back early on Friday and to be able to meet up with everyone, and it reshaped my whole thinking process on the whole experience.
McVay is one of the best leaders in the NFL, and Turner himself has emerged as an important voice in the Rams locker room since being drafted by the team three years ago.