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Navy Football looks to recover after a brutal two year stretch

By Shane Lunnen

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 20: The Navy Midshipmen take the field before playing against the East Carolina Pirates during the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 20, 2021 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 20: The Navy Midshipmen take the field before playing against the East Carolina Pirates during the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 20, 2021 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Stopping the run is the goal for a Navy defense

Last season saw Navy much improved on the defensive side of the ball compared to the 2020 season. They were great at containing the run, giving up 130.4 yards per game on the ground and ranking third overall in team defense in the conference.

The improvement in defense certainly was a result of better tackling. In the 2020 preseason camp, Navy football went completely non-contact because of Covid and it showed early in the season how much of a disadvantage that was.

The defensive line has the most experience which bodes well for another solid year against the run. Junior Clay Cromwell moves over from nose guard, where he had seven tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks a year ago, to the defensive tackle position. Junior Donald Berniard will anchor at the nose guard while junior Jacob Busic looks promising at the defensive end position.

Second-team AAC linebacker Diego Fagot is a key loss after leading the team in tackles for three straight seasons. Will Harbour, who missed half of last season due to injury, is back along with Colin Ramos to man the inside backer positions. Sophomore Tyler Fletcher has the potential to be a rising star. On the outside are seniors Nicholas Straw and John Marshall.

Due to its offensive style, the Navy secondary does not get a lot of practice against prolific passers. If an opposing offense is good but not great at passing the ball, they usually can find a lot of success through the air against Navy.

The front seven needs to help out the weakness on the back end by generating more of a pass rush. Junior safety Eavan Gibbons looks to be the best player on this unit. The inexperience at both corner spots could be a problem and the unit only had seven interceptions a year ago. That number will need to increase in order to keep opposing offenses off the field.

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