Blog Article
NAVY FOOTBALL IS ABOUT TO DOMINATE THE 2025 SEASON (AND HERE’S WHY)
Navy football just delivered its first 10-win season since 2019, and it’s only getting started.
After half a decade of mediocrity, the Midshipmen roared back to life in 2024 with a statement season: 10-3 record, Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, and a bowl victory that stunned Oklahoma. Navy’s triple-option offense became appointment viewing again, and heading into 2025, this team has all the ingredients to make another run at the American Athletic Conference title.
Here’s why Navy is positioned to become one of college football’s best stories in 2025:
The Midshipmen shocked college football by transforming from perennial losers to conference contenders overnight.
What happened in 2024 wasn’t just a good season but a complete program resurrection. Navy opened with six straight wins, including a 56-44 offensive explosion against Memphis. They reclaimed the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy by dismantling Air Force 34-7 and handling Army 31-13. The season’s exclamation point came with quarterback Blake Horvath’s jaw-dropping 95-yard touchdown run to secure a 21-20 bowl victory over Oklahoma.
“That run against Oklahoma showed exactly what makes our offense dangerous,” noted Navy Athletics Director Chet Gladchuk in a January interview with the Naval Academy’s alumni magazine. “When you combine discipline with explosive athleticism, special things happen.”
This wasn’t just a good season. It was a warning shot to the rest of the conference.
The offense returns 73% of its production (which is absurd in the transfer portal era)
Returning nearly three-quarters of your offensive production in today’s college football landscape is practically unheard of.
Navy’s triple-option attack ranked 12th nationally in returning production, creating a level of continuity that option offenses particularly benefit from. The system’s effectiveness comes from precision, timing, and split-second decision-making—all qualities that improve dramatically with experience.
The offense brings back these critical pieces:
- Senior QB Blake Horvath (1,154 passing yards, 11 TDs, 870 rushing yards, 13 TDs)
- Established fullback Alex Tecza (576 yards, 8 TDs)
- A cohesive offensive line with multiple returning starters
- Backup QB Braxton Woodson, who gained valuable experience in 2024
- A rushing attack that already averaged 247.5 yards per game at 5.4 yards per carry
“Our triple-option is the great equalizer,” Horvath told the Capital Gazette following the Armed Forces Bowl victory. “Teams can prepare for it, but until you’ve seen our speed and execution in person, it’s tough to simulate.”
The scary part? This offense still has room to grow.
The defense quietly dominated in 2024 (and returns plenty of production)
While the offense gets the headlines, Navy’s defense was the unsung hero of last season’s success.
The Midshipmen defense returns 53% of its production from a unit that surrendered just 22.2 points per game. Against the run—where games are often won or lost in college football—they were particularly stingy, allowing only 156.1 yards per game and 4.2 yards per carry.
What made this defense special in 2024:
- Disciplined play (just 5.1 penalties for 45 yards per game)
- Strong fundamentals (particularly in tackling)
- Creating turnovers in key moments
- Flexibility against varied offensive schemes in the AAC
The secondary remains the area for potential improvement, allowing 212.8 passing yards per game at a 59.3% completion rate. With the high-powered passing attacks in the American Athletic Conference, developing depth at cornerback and safety positions will be crucial during spring practice.
But the defensive foundation is rock solid.
The 2025 schedule is set up perfectly for another championship run
If you were designing an ideal schedule for sustained momentum, Navy’s 2025 slate comes pretty close.
The schedule breaks down as follows:
- Early confidence-builders: VMI (Aug. 30) and UAB (Sept. 6) at home to start the season
- Traditional rivalry games: Air Force (Oct. 4 in Annapolis) and Army (Dec. 13 in Baltimore)
- Major spotlight game: at Notre Dame (Nov. 8)
- Late-season statement opportunity: at Memphis (Nov. 27)
- Balanced distribution: 5 home games, 7 road games
“The 2025 schedule gives us a good balance,” said head coach Brian Newberry in a press release announcing the schedule. “Starting with two home games helps us establish our identity, and having Air Force at home is significant for our Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy defense.”
The schedule provides the perfect mix of winnable games, high-profile showcases, and conference challenges.
Navy’s approach is refreshingly old-school in college football’s transfer portal era.
While the portal has revolutionized roster construction elsewhere, Navy’s unique service academy structure means it operates differently by necessity. Yes, they lost a few players through the portal—defensive end Jacob Busic (to UCLA) and quarterback Trey Dunn (to Marshall)—but the program’s mission and requirements naturally limit both departures and arrivals.
This creates three massive competitive advantages:
- Unrivaled continuity in an era of constant roster turnover
- Players fully bought into Navy’s unique system over multiple years
- A culture that develops players rather than replacing them
What initially seems like a disadvantage reinforces the team’s identity and approach.
The Midshipmen are positioned to build on their 2024 revival and potentially take it even further in 2025.
Navy stands apart in a world where college football programs increasingly resemble each other with similar offensive systems, transfer portal strategies, and NIL approaches. Their identity is crystal clear: physical, disciplined football executing a unique system with precision and purpose.
If the passing game develops as a more consistent threat and the defense maintains its stinginess, Navy could find itself in the AAC championship game come December. For a program built on tradition, 2025 presents an opportunity to establish a new winning tradition for the current generation of Midshipmen.
The ingredients are all there. Navy isn’t just hoping to win—they’re built to win.
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