Navy Midshipmen Receive Lofty Spot in Way-Too-Early College Football Rankings

The Navy Midshipmen are in position to be one of the better teams in college football next season.

Dec 14, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Navy Midshipmen quarterback Blake Horvath (11) looks to pass against the Army Black Knights during the first half of the the 125th Army-Navy game at Northwest Stadium. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images

The 2024 college football season was among the most successful in the history of the Navy Midshipmen program.

In the second year under head coach Brian Newberry, the team was able to turn things around. After finishing under the .500 mark in four straight campaigns and five out of the previous six, Navy won 10 contests.

It was only the sixth time that the Midshipmen reached double-digit wins in a single year. For the first time since 2019, they cracked the Top 25, going as high as No. 24.

On top of that, they also defeated the Army West Point Black Knights in their annual Army-Navy Game to take home the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy. In their final game of the year, in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl against the Oklahoma Sooners, they came away with a 21-20 victory as well.

Heading into the 2025 campaign, there is a lot to be excited about at Navy.

There are several key players returning for another year, headlined by starting quarterback Blake Horvath, who had a breakout 2024 performance.

He threw for 1,353 yards with 13 touchdowns and only four interceptions, adding 1,246 yards on the ground for an American Athletic Conference-leading 7.1 yards per attempt. 17 more scores were added on the ground, as he caught one pass for 13 yards for good measure.

The team’s second and third leading rushers, fullback Alex Tecza and slotback Eli Heidenreich are also back in 2025 as this rushing attack should be among the most potent in college football once again.

That trio will be the backbone of the team next year and Stewart Mandel of The Athletic believes there will be some lofty expectations for them to live up to.

In his way-too-early college football top 25 rankings for the upcoming campaign, he has Navy ranked as the No. 23 team in the nation.

“Army got more attention during the regular season, but Navy beat its rival and then knocked off Oklahoma in its bowl game to finish with 10 wins. Horvath (1,353 yards passing, 1,246 rushing yards, 30 combined TDs) is the guy who makes the whole thing go, so the Midshipmen should be strong on offense again. They do lose quite a bit on defense. Their conference schedule is light save for a trip to Memphis.”

The Midshipmen will be visiting South Bend to face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the runners-up in the College Football Playoff this year. 

They will avoid the Tulane Green Wave, whom Army defeated in the AAC Championship Game this past season, making for an easy-to-navigate schedule as Mandel noted.

Another double-digit win campaign is certainly within reach as long as they can get things figured out on the defensive side of the ball during offseason practices as this offense should hum efficiently once again.