Navy Midshipmen Football Garnering Respect Heading Into Next Season

The Navy Midshipmen look like they may be among the best teams in college football entering next season.
Dec 27, 2024; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Navy Midshipmen players flood the field after winning the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Amon G. Carter Stadium.
Dec 27, 2024; Fort Worth, TX, USA; Navy Midshipmen players flood the field after winning the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Amon G. Carter Stadium. / Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images
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The 2024 college football season was one of the most successful in the history of the Navy Midshipmen program.

They were able to reach double-digit victories for only the sixth time ever, going 10-3 in the second year under head coach Brian Newberry. It was the first time that they finished with a winning record since 2019, as they had finished under the .500 mark in five out of the last six campaigns.

While they weren’t able to win the American Athletic Conference Championship as their rivals the Army West Point Black Knights, they did come away victorious in their annual rivalry game.

By winning the Army-Navy Game, the Midshipmen won the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the first time since 2019 and their 17th time overall. They won that matchup, 31-13, and defeated the Air Force Falcons, 34-7, in their matchup earlier in the year.

After defeating the Black Knights, Navy went on to beat the Oklahoma Sooners in thrilling fashion in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl just about two weeks later, 21-20.

Despite the strong finish to the season, where they won their last three games, the team surprisingly fell just short of the final AP Poll. They finished with the 26th most points, just behind the Colorado Buffaloes.

While it was certainly disappointing to not finish the season ranked, which would have been the first time since 2019 they accomplished that feat, they have a chance to do something in 2025 that hasn’t been done since 1964; start the year in the top 25.

Over at Sports Illustrated, Bryan Fischer, Mike McDaniel, Pat Forde and Zach Koons released their way-too-early top 25 for the 2025 season. They have the Midshipmen inside those rankings at No. 24.

The reasons? Coaching upheaval in the conference, stability on the Navy staff and roster, including the return of quarterback Blake Horvath. Plus, the schedule is manageable.

“An October meeting with national runner-up Notre Dame won’t play too big of a factor in Navy’s playoff hopes, so long as the Midshipmen take care of a favorable AAC schedule," the staff wrote.

Continuity on the coaching staff and at the most important position on the field will give them an advantage over a majority of programs in the country.

Having Horvath back under center, along with their second and third leading rushers in fullback Alex Tecza and slotback Eli Heidenreich, should lead to them having one of the most productive offenses in the nation again.

If Newberry and his staff can figure things out on the defensive side of the ball, they will be in the mix as one of the best Group of 5 teams in the country and a potential College Football Playoff berth.

There isn’t a single G5 team ranked ahead of them by SI’s college football staff.


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