Navy Football Announces New Offensive Assistants For 2024

Navy made a major change to their coaching staff this month with the addition of former Mercer head coach Drew Cronic. Cronic was formally introduced last week as the Midshipmen's new offensive coordinator. This week, head coach Brian Newberry and company announced the additions of Jay Guillermo and David Cole, two of Cronic's former Mercer assistants, to the Navy staff.

Guillermo is expected to be one of the team's offensive line coaches and Cole will be the team's tight ends coach. 

Tommy Laurendine will move from fullbacks coach to the offensive line, alongside Guillermo. Ivin Jasper will pull double duty coaching quarterbacks and fullbacks. 

“We are excited to welcome David Cole, Jay Guillermo and their families to Annapolis,” Newberry said in a statement released on Wednesday. 

“David is an exceptional mentor and leader of young men. He has had tremendous success in a variety of roles throughout his career. He is a detailed teacher and an outstanding recruiter. He has a great understanding of the culture we want to create offensively. Jay has a history of success as an offensive lineman and captain of a national championship team at Clemson. He will bring instant credibility with current players and recruits. He has a wealth of knowledge in multiple offensive schemes and is an outstanding recruiter and leader that will create a culture of passion, toughness and grit.”

Guillermo, who just joined the Mercer staff following the conclusion of the 2023 season, was a captain and starting center of Clemson's 2016 national championship team. 

Cole has coached alongside Cronic for six seasons - four at Mercer and two at Lenoir-Rhyne. He served as the associate head coach, special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Mercer.

Navy also announced that Jon Williams, who coached the tight ends last season, has moved to the role of Director of Scouting and Special Assistant to the Head Coach. After serving as the program's Director of Recruiting, Danny Payne is now the Executive Director of Football Recruiting and Analytics. 

Following a 5-7 season in 2023, Navy open the 2024 season on August 31 when they host Bucknell. It will be Newberry's second as head coach.