Navy Opens Fall Camp with a New Confidence, Same Process

Navy football reported for fall camp yesterday and hit the field for the first time today. After a 10–3 season capped by a bowl win over Oklahoma, Brian Newberry’s third team starts camp with a different vibe than a year ago. The focus, however, is the same: stacking days and trusting the process.

Early thoughts as the new season begins:

A team of leaders. Senior QB Blake Horvath and nose guard Landon Robinson lead the way as team captains. Horvath put up over 2,500 yards last season and tied Ricky Dobbs’ single-season passing TD record, while also carrying a 4.0 in the classroom. Robinson, a first-team all-conference pick, is the deputy captain of captains at the Academy, reflecting the respect he has earned across the board.

But they aren’t alone. Newberry says there are “four or five other guys” in the class who could just as easily be captains, and it shows in the way he describes the team: “These guys genuinely like each other. They love each other. They care about each other. They play for each other. I’m excited about that. Close teams are powerful teams.”

A shift in mindset. Last summer, Navy was “hopeful and wishful,” as Newberry put it. This year, the Mids carry confidence and expectations, but understand that last year is in the past. This year’s team will have to earn its accolades. To get to where they want to go, Newberry says they focus on process. He likes what he saw out of his team in the offseason.

“I look back to January and the work that we’ve put in up to this point,” he said. “We don’t talk a lot about winning. We do talk a lot about deserving success, embracing the work and embracing the process, showing up, doing the work on a consistent basis at a very high standard. We’ve done that. So that gives me a good feeling about who we are and where we’re at.”

Familiar weapons, evolving offense? Drew Cronic‘s first year calling plays was an unqualified success, but now teams know what to expect from the Mids. At American Conference media day, Newberry acknowledged the need to evolve while noting that it’s a lot easier to do so with a player like Horvath returning.

“I don’t think there’s a better player in the country that fits what we do offensively. The progress he’s made and will continue to make is really exciting. It allows us to do a lot of different things,” he said.

Horvath joined Keenan Reynolds and Chris McCoy last year as the only QBs in school history to top 1,200 yards both rushing and passing in a season. Eli Heidenreich, who ranked No. 2 nationally by Pro Football Focus as a pass receiver (min. 50 targets), set a program record with six touchdown receptions. Other standouts, including Alex Tecza, Brandon Chatman, and Nathan Kent, also return, giving the Mids a solid foundation of experience if they want to further expand the offense. Will the Mids throw more? Are there new option wrinkles to introduce? Will they lean more on the Wing-T? The direction of the offense will be a story to watch as camp progresses.

Questions that need answering. As we noted earlier this month, not everything is smooth sailing. There are still areas on the team that need addressing, including replacing production on defense and settling the tackle position.

Dates to know: Media Day and Fan Fest are August 2, the NAAA Blue & Gold BBQ is August 9, and the final closed practice wraps camp August 16. Navy opens the season August 30 against VMI at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.