Top 5 Underrated Option Era Players - Eric Roberts

#5 – Lamar Owens
#4 – Tyler Carmona

#3 – Eric Roberts

Slotback, now snipe, may be the most fun and unique position in the Navy offense. They run routes like a receiver, carry the ball like a running back, and block like a tight end. They are both versatile and numerous. It’s disrespectful to call them “interchangeable,” because that’s not really true. They all showed individual styles and strengths on the field. But at the same time, you could make a legitimate case for a dozen different guys to be included on this list. Every Navy fan has a favorite slotback.

There are a select few, however, who were the guy. Reggie Campbell is usually held up as the gold standard. Shun White is the only player to have a 1,000-yard rushing season exclusively as a slotback (Malcolm Perry split time at quarterback and slotback in 2017 and 2018). Gee Gee Greene is one of only two slotbacks in the top ten in school history in yards from scrimmage as a slotback. That brings us to the other one, who is too often forgotten when fans talk about their favorites: Eric Roberts.

The motto of the slotback room used to be “A’s make plays,” referring to the formal name of the position at the time: A-Back. Roberts and fellow slotback Tony Lane (another contender for this list) were the embodiment of that. When Paul Johnson first arrived in Annapolis, he quipped that the roster was full of guys who turned a 50-yard play into a 15-yard play. More than anyone else, Roberts proved that was about to change.

Even among Navy’s many talented slotbacks in the past 23 years, Roberts’ numbers stand out. He is #3 in Navy history in career rushing yards per attempt (8.6). His 1,513 career rushing yards are fifth among slotbacks, and his 2,726 scrimmage yards are eighth overall. But where Roberts truly shined was as a receiver.

Eric Roberts is the best receiving slotback of the option era. With 1,213 receiving yards, he is sixth in school history and #1 for the position. He is Navy’s all-time leader in yards per reception (23.3), and has two of the top three single seasons in the same category. He is tied for third in career touchdown receptions. His 86-yard reception from Craig Candeto against Central Michigan in 2003 is the second-longest reception in school history.

Some of the catches that produced these numbers were spectacular, too. For newer Navy fans who weren’t around, the 2003 Eastern Michigan game was basically an Eric Roberts highlight reel.

(Check out that sweet NMCMS grass!)

One of the biggest storylines of the 2025 season will be Eli Heidenreich‘s pursuit of Rob Taylor‘s all-time Navy receiving record. I think he’ll get it. I hope he gets it. But when he does, don’t forget the guy who set the standard for receiving slotbacks and snipes. Even 20 years later, Eric Roberts is one of Navy’s best.