Middies Say Goodbye to Sherwood



It wasn't the season that redshirt Senior QB James Sherwood envisioned for himself or his teammates as the Midshipmen stumbled to an 8-8 finish and out of the playoffs. Fans, however, will not soon forget the standard Sherwood created at arguably the most important position in football over the past 4 years he guided the offensive ship.

Sherwood leaves the Naval Academy as the most prolific passer in Navy history. Over the past 4 years, the numbers and accolades speak for themselves:

- 60.1% completion percentage
- 21,986 yards passing
- 177 touchdown passes
- QB rating over 101
- 2018 Heisman Trophy winner
- 2018 Maxwell award winner
- 2018 Davey O'Brien award winner (best QB)
- Two-time 1st team All-American



Sherwood leaves a void that won't be easy to replace in the upcoming seasons for Navy and fans owe him a debt of gratitude for being the "face of the franchise" for Navy football during his tenure in Annapolis.

We wish him nothing but the best and although he will don the Scarlet and Black of Rutgers this fall, he will forever be a member of the Blue and Gold family!

2021 Offseason Review

After a sub-par season which saw the Midshipmen stumble to an 8-8 record that left them outside of the College Playoffs for the first time in 2 years, there were rumors that Head Coach David Garcia was looking to shake things up within his staff. The result was almost a complete turnover of the position coaches. Amidst the shuffle, former Defensive Coordinator Enrique Ramirez left after just one year to take the reigns for Rutgers as their new Head Coach. Athletic Director mhines7878 wasted no time in finding a replacement, scooping up Tennessee coach Harold Becarra to be the 3rd DC in as many years for the Midshipmen.

Coaching changes aside, the Middies also watched All-American quarterback James Sherwood graduate, but also 2 starters on the offensive line to go along with a key contributer on the defensive side of the ball (LB Brian Pierce). Heading into the transfer season, speculations were that Garcia would try to target a few graduate transfers to help shore up some positions particularly along the offensive and defensive lines. Results were mostly positive from Navy fans, as the Middies were successful in luring highly coveted DT Donald Vann and offensive lineman Larry Mattingly in the initial weeks of the transfer season.

Key Losses

QB James Sherwood (Signed with Rutgers)
LB Brian Pierce
C Kevin Christiansen (Signed with Clemson)
OL Edward Harris

Key Additions

DT Donald Vann - The former Miami Hurricane and mostly recently a member of the Notre Dame National Championship team, Vann is an immediate starter along the defensive front. Even though rumors are that he's lost a step or two, he brings a stout presense to the Midshipmen front seven.

OL Larry Mattingly - Graduate transfer from Utah, Mattingly's natural position is center but may be expected to move between center and guard for Navy in the upcoming year. Head Coach Garcia hopes that Mattingly will bring the same consistency to help balance a fairly weak offensive line.

FB/TE Brian Boegner - While not a splashy player, Boegner brings good run blocking and consistent pass catching either on the line as a tight end or in the backfield as a fullback. He won't win any footraces, but expect Boegner to push for playing time at either position throughout the year.

QB Daniel Yazzie - Yazzie is the definition of a journeyman quarterback, playing for his 4th team in as many years. His numbers aren't going to make anyone forget All-American James Sherwood's departure, but coaches are hoping he brings some experience and helps push the others vying for a wide open race in the fall.

2021 Recruiting Signees

WR Clark Barr - Former FCS standout at Weber St., Barr essentially fell into the Midshipmen's lap during the recruiting process. While not a burner on the outside, Barr brings enough speed and intangibles to get the job done. Expect Barr to be in the mix for a role in the Navy offense for years to come.

OL Larry Akins - A bit of a gamble for the Middies, Akins a former fullback in high school is expected to hit the weight room heavily once he arrives as Navy hopes to play him somewhere along the offensive line. His blocking in both the passing game and run game along with his elite strength should help, but he will be a work in progress as he tries to get his weight up.

DE/LB Brian Seaton - Seaton has the speed you look for, especially for someone his size. His lack of tackling ability, however, may hinder his ability to hit the field. Rumours are that Navy may look to ask him to drop some weight and use him as a cover LB as his man coverage skills are one of his strong suits.

OL John Barrows - With the recent graudations along the offensive line, the Midshipmen look again to try and enhance their O-Line. Barrows may never be an All-American candidate, but coaches are hoping he can bring some good depth to the O-Line.

LB Dong Ohagan - Ohagen is a former defensive lineman, who the Midshipmen are hoping to convert to a linebacker to help bring some depth to that position. Not elite in any specific area, Ohagen looks to bring down his weight and improve in his tackling and coverage skills if he wants to be a long term starter.

FB/TE David Gibson - Slow, but decent blocker who could find a spot on special teams initially as he vies for playing time at an already crowded position.

Navy Midshipmen
2020 Final Record: 8-8
2021 Predicted Finish: 6-10

Gone is All-American QB James Sherwood along with his 5659 passing yards and 42 touchdown passes. Leading rusher from 2020, William Sciortino and his 1252 yards rushing and 5 TDs is also no longer on the roster heading into 2021. Replacing this productivity will be difficult for head coach David Garcia. How quickly freshman QB Scott Gee gets comfortable with the offense will go a long way to determine Navy's season. Oft-injured RB Tommy Rodgers (293 yards rushing, 527 yards receiving 7 total TDs) will need to stay healthy to take pressure off the young signal caller and TE to WR convert Marcus Briggs (67 rec, 953 yards, 7 TDs at TE) along with newcomer Clark Barr could form a solid nucleus on offense... which is good, because historically Navy has not been good on the other side of the ball. Coaches and fans are hoping that graduate transfer Donald Vann (10 sacks, 50 hurries at Notre Dame) can help take some focus off of All-American candidate DE Samuel Hawkins (13 sacks, 83 pressures) to form a solid defensive front and bring more pressure to alleviate a less than average secondary led by CBs Charlie Andre (4 INTs, 35.9% completion percentage against) and Stanley Rose (who coaches are hoping rebounds to his prior form in 2019). The 2021 outlook has a bunch of "what ifs" for the Midshipmen and in a very strong division that is never a good sign.

2021 - Week 1

USC Trojans (0-0) at Navy Midshipmen (0-0)

Fourth Quarter Surge Propel Middies to Victory

Coming out of the preseason scrimmages, which saw the Navy Midshipmen win all three of their contests, there was a buzz around campus that things might be OK for Navy football after their off-season changes. In front of almost 30,000 fans on a balmy 91 degree afternoon, Navy set out to prove those rumors were true. After a back and forth contest that saw Navy win the statisical battle, Navy fans were treated to a 23-17 victory to start the 2021 season.

For the majority of the game, Navy tried to establish an effective running game to take pressure of freshman QB Scott Gee. While it wasn't pretty, Navy ended up rushing for 140 yards on 37 carries and dominated the time of possession against the visiting Trojans (holding almost a 14 minute advantage). "We knew we needed to establish some sort of running game to help Scott get acclimated," said Offensive Coordinator Matthew Stewart. "Although we would have liked to see some better production out of our attempts, the ability to control the time of possession was critical." James Hicks would eventually come out on top to lead the Midshipmen rushing attack with 16 carries for 73 yards rushing after starting RB Tommy Rodgers was hampered with an early injury. Gee, for his part, played a relatively even game finishing 17-30 for 249 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. "It was good to just get out there and play," said Gee after the game. "I know moving forward that there are areas we'll need to work on, but I trust my teammates that we'll figure it out and continue to get better."

On the defensive side of the ball, Navy played an overall good game. Giving up only 236 total yards (148 through the air) against the Trojans, while causing 3 turnovers. "We're really pleased with the defensive output today," said Head Coach David Garcia. "We can do a better job of getting to the QB, but overall I feel that our guys were really solid especially on third down." (USC converted just 2 first downs in 13 attempts). While no defensive player truly stood out, Navy's defense came up big when it needed to.

Off PoTG - WR Marcus Briggs 9 rec, 99 yards, 2 TDs
Def PoTG - FS David Lucas 2 Tckls, 1 INT, 0% completion percentage against (7 targets)
Navy Play of the Game - QB Francis Hernandez finds Marcus Briggs in the flat, who breaks a tackle on his way to giving the Middies the lead for good late in the 4th quarter. https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/1313#247992

Next Week: v. Auburn Tigers (1-0)

2021 - Week 2

Auburn Tigers (1-0) at Navy Midshipmen (1-0)

Navy Deploys Three-Headed QB Attack in Win Over Auburn

With their top two running backs (James Hicks and Tommy Rodgers) out due to injury and a young inexperienced QB under center, Head Coach David Garcia decided to try something unconventional and play all three of his quarterbacks throughout the game. The result was a 26-33 for 351 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs from his trio and a 34-13 victory over SEC foe Auburn. Coach Garcia seemed amused at the question after the game, "We have 3 viable options at QB, so why not utilize them in the best way and let them all see the field?" Perhaps they saw something from Iowa's handling of their three QBs last year that brought they success or maybe Garcia just isn't ready to fully hand over the keys to one of them... only time will tell. For now, however, fans seem happy to see the sort of production they were accustomed to see during Sherwood's stay in Annapolis (albeit from 3 players instead of just 1). The running game continues to plod along, rushing for another 140 yards on 38 carries even without its top two rushers from the previous week. Tom Boswell - 20 carries, 84 yards, 1 TD & Nick Weishar - 14 carries, 61 yards, 1 TD gave the Midshipmen another huge advantage in the time of possession game and helped to alleviate some of the pressure off of the QB rotation.

Defensively, CB Stanley Rose continued to build off of his game 1 performance, this time coming up with an interception while only allowing 11.8% of the passes thrown his way to be completed. "Stan is just playing his **** off so far this year," said new Defensive Coordinator Harold Becerra. "As a unit, we've played really well for the first two games and he's been a major part of that. We all know that 2 games doesn't make a season, however, so we need to keep at it." Even for the success that the defensive unit has seen so far this year, the lack of QB sacks seems to be an issue that Head Coach David Garcia isn't taking lightly. "We know we need to get after the QB and put the pressure on whoever we're playing against. The NCAA is full of pass happy teams and we can't just let them sit back there forever or we'll get picked apart eventually."

Off PoTG - QBs Scott Gee, Francis Hernandez, and Daniel Yazzie combined 351 yards passing, while only throwing 7 incompletions and adding 2 TDs with 0 INTs
Def PoTG - CB Stanley Rose 5 tckls, 4 pass defensed, 1 INT, 11.8% completion percentage against
Navy Play of the Game - Rose gets his first pick of the year to help seal the victory https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/1326#250517

Next Week: @ Mississippi Rebels (0-2)

2021 - Week 3

Navy Midshipmen (2-0) at Mississippi Rebels (0-2)

Late Surge Propels Midshipmen to 3rd Straight Victory

In a game that saw six lead changes in just over three quarters of play, Navy used an explosive 4th quarter to earn their 3rd straight victory of the young 2021 season. Joseph Brewer's 33 yard field goal (his 4th in as many tries on the day) with 13:33 left in the 4th quarter started a 17 point run for Navy as they defeated Ole Miss 40-25 in front of 51,000+ fans in Oxford. While Navy couldn't get the running game going as well as they had in the past few games, the QB trio of Scott Gee, Francis Hernandez, and Daniel Yazzie once again played well in combined action finishing 26-38 for 415 yards and 4 TDs (1 INT) as a unit. The big story was the breakout game for WR Marcus Briggs, who finished the day with 9 catches for 209 yards and 2 TDs. A recent TE convert, Briggs has been busy in the offseason learning new route trees and trying to drop some weight to gain the speed to play on the outside. "Yeah, it's been a crazy offseason, but hopefully this is just a glimpse of what I can do out there," Briggs said after the game. Navy fans are hoping that perhaps some of the many offseason position moves may start to pay dividends as the Middies try to overcome the player losses from 2020.

Defensively, the unit once again played well overall. "They gave up some more yardage than we'd like to see," said Head Coach David Garcia. "They stepped up when they needed to to get us the W though and that's all we can ask." Navy did allow over 400 yards through the air, but were able to pick Ole Miss QB Michael Napoli three times (two by rising star CB Stanley Rose).

Off PoTG - WR Marcus Briggs 9 catches, 209 yards, 2 TDs
Def PoTG - CB Stanley Rose 11 tckls, 1 pass defensed, 1 Fumble Receover, 2 INTs
Navy Play of the Game - Rose steps in front of a Napoli pass to set up Navy for what would be the go-ahead field goal late in the 3rd quarter https://ncaa-football.myfootballnow.com/watch/1340#253161

Next Week: v. Marshall Thundering Herd (1-2)

2021 - Week 4

Marshall Thundering Herd (1-2) at Navy Midshipmen (3-0)

Defensive Slugfest Ends in Midshipmen Defeat Against Division Rival

On a day where the Navy defense played one of their best games, the offense decided not to show up. The result was a 10-0 defeat at home against division rival Marshall that left Head Coach David Garcia at a loss for words. "It was a **** poor performance on the offensive side of the ball," said Garcia while shaking his head. "We wasted an outstanding effort by our defense and we failed to protect our home turf against a divisional opponent. We thought we had a good game plan going in, but we just didn't execute..."

The QB trio seemed to work fairly well again this week, but unlike the previous weeks Navy was unable to find the bigger plays as Marshall held the Midshipmen passing attack to just 193 yards while getting six sacks on top of it. "Hats off to Marshall, they came ready to play," Offensive Coordinator Matthew Stewart said after the game. "We need to do a better job, period."

As previously mentioned, defensively the Midshipmen seemed to be playing faster and more aggressive than they were in the previous weeks but it wasn't enough. Led by LB Matthew Thompson the Middies came up big play after play to keep them in the game. Save for the missed tackle by CB Charlie Andre that led to a long TD pass, the defensive intensity was there. Navy fans are hoping their team can put together a total performance in the coming weeks to stay in the playoff picture.

Off PoTG - None
Def PoTG - LB Matthew Thompson 7 tckls, 1 sack, 4 hurries
Navy Play of the Game - Can there be a play of the game if we don't score any points and lose????

Next Week: @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1)

2025 Off-Season Review

After two straight seasons that watched the Midshipmen flounder in last place of the always strong Independent division, rumours abound that long time Head Coach David Garcia may have seen his last days in Annapolis. Athletic Director mhines, however, decided to stick with the embattled coach heading into the 2025 season. Many pundits were initially skeptical of this move, but believe that 2025 is a make or break season for Garcia (who has never won a playoff game in three appearances as well).

To aid in his efforts, Garcia immediately made a splash in the transfer market by inking two high profile transfers (both from Oklahoma St.) in QB Randy Williams and DL Daniel Young before turning his sites to the recruiting period.

Key Losses

Defensive Coordinator - Harold Becerra - Signed with Arizona (OC)

DB - Kenneth Autrey (58 Tkls, 3 INTs, 16 KnkDn, 40.2% Alld%) - Left for NFL Draft

WR - Michael Perez (34 rec, 753 yards, 3 TDs) - Graduate transfer to Texas A&M

P - Bernie Freudenburg (43.6 NetAvg, 38 Inside 20)

DB - David Henderson (62 Tkls, 1 INT, 8 KnkDn, 36.9% Alld%) - Transferred to USC

DB - Brian Leonhardt (21 Tkls, 2 Sks, 2 INTs, 3 KnkDn, 12.5% Alld%) - Transferred to UCLA

LB - Brian Seaton (18 Tkls, 1 INT, 3 KnkDn, 42.3% Alld%) - Transferred to Ohio St.


Key Additions

Defensive Coordinator - Kevin Smith - Promoted from DL Coach

QB - Randy Williams (56.3% CompPct, 6,647 Yds, 55 TDs, 13 INTs, 110.42 QB Rating) - Transfer from Oklahoma St.

DL - Daniel Young (25 Tkls, 4 Sks, 4 Hurries) - Transfer from Oklahoma St.

P - Daniel Collins (43.2 NetAvg, 48 Inside 20) - Graduate Transfer from Florida St.

DB - Howard Wells (34 Tkls, 1 Sk, 2 INTs, 4 KnkDn, 41.3% Alld%) - Transfer from LSU

2025 Recruiting Signees

Scholarships

CB Tommy Rea - Highly recruited defensive back from Alabama, Rea enrolled with as many question marks about his character as there were praises for his abilities. After a strong camp, however, Rea looks to be strongly entrenched in the Middies future and quite possibly present.

RB James Smith, Jr. - Former FCS player for Central Arkansas, Smith looks to be the heir apparent to a position that hasn't seen stability since the years of William Sciortino. Coaches expect Smith to vie for a starting position as a true freshman.

LB Rhett Swartz - Coaches recruited the former defensive lineman in high school with the hopes that he could shed some weight in camp and convert to LB. Due to an undisclosed off the field incident, however, HC David Garcia has announced that the Middies have rescinded their scholarship offer to Swartz.

OL Wayne Lach - Big, fast run blocking mauler in high school, Lach impressed coaches with a strong camp that showed potential as an all-around offensive lineman. He may start at guard this year depending on how he progresses, but rumours are the Midshipmen have found their LT for the future.

WR John Elmore - Another former FCS player (from E. Kent), Elmore impressed coaches with a strong camp. If his progress continues, it is possible he sees action this season behind incumbent starters Clark Barr and Andrew Thompson.

WR Kevin Cheever - Recruited as an athletic, but unrefined WR prospect, Cheever was also apparently involved in the undisclosed incident and has had his scholarship revoked as well.

P Christopher Chapple - While the Middies inked graduate transfer Daniel Collins over the off-season, Chapple also greatly impressed coaches during camp. Depending on his progression, he may need a redshirt year, but the Midshipmen believe they have found a stable replacement for departing P Bernie Freudenburg.

Walk-Ons

TE James Smith, Sr. - Athletic and lanky TE prospect originally signed his letter of intent to play for the Georgia Bulldogs, but a change of heart saw him land with the Midshipmen. After a sub-par camp, however, it is unclear of his future with the Middies moving forward.

LB Tad Hunter - Another original signee by the Georgia Bulldogs, coaches are intrigued by Hunter's prowess in Man-to-Man coverage and wish to convert the former DL to LB. As he drops weight, look for the Middies to redshirt Hunter as he learns his new position.

LB Jon Ziegler - A tackling machine in high school, Ziegler initially signed with SEC power LSU but changed his mind late in the recruiting process. Navy hopes that, while he may never be a star in college, he might be able to bring some much needed depth to an aging LB core.

WR Julio Haupt - Coaches were intrigued with the route-running ability of the former Army signee. Haupt won't win any foot races, but after a decent camp look for a competition between current WR Brendon Chinn and LSU transfer Wesley Hosier

WR Wesley Hosier - Maybe more well rounded than Haupt, coaches are hoping for a good competition between Hosier, Haupt and Chinn for quite possibly the last WR roster position.

Navy 2025 Season Preview

After two straight season which saw the Midshipmen on the outside looking in of the NCAA playoffs, Navy enters 2025 with renewed hope that they can climb back into the playoff discussions. Big off-season transfers to go along with a solid (on paper) recruiting class indicates that the Middies are on the right track, but anything can happen in a highly competitive Independent Division... Add the new rule sets set to take hold for the 2025 season and you might as well blindfold yourself and throw darts at a board to pick where the Middies will finish.

Offensively, the Midshipmen will hand the reins of the offensive over to Oklahoma St. transfer Randy Williams. HC David Garcia hopes that Williams can provide some dynamic playmaking ability to a position that has been hit or miss since HoFer James Sherwood left Annapolis. Another question mark for most fans surrounds the running back position which saw redshirt freshman Ronald Gates and true freshman James Smith, Jr. battle it out in scrimmages and fall camp. While many believe that Smith will eventually take the job outright, rumor is that Gates (who averaged 5.3 ypc in limited duty last year) may have at least garnered himself some carries due to his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Out wide, coaches are hoping that true freshman John Elmore can get up to speed quickly after an impressive camp to help ease some burden off junior WR Clark Barr and redshirt freshman TE Joseph Chow. Up front, the question is typically how healthy can the Middies stay and this year is no different. While the front 5 or 6 is decent enough, the talent level starts to drop off fairly quickly should injuries hit like they did in previous years.

Defensively, the Middies posted a top 15 defense (in ypg) but they have never truly showed that they can consistently be a force week after week. Newly promoted DC Kevin Smith hopes that another Oklahoma St. transfer DT Daniel Young can bring some additional pressure to ease the burden on DE Jordan Silva. Silva, for his part, is hoping for a breakout season after leading the NCAA in QB hurries last season (54) but only hitting home for 19 sacks. Paired along with incumbent starters James Wolford, Jonathan Cleaver, and Kevin Quinlan, the Navy defensive front should be a strength if they can stay healthy. At linebacker, coaches will look to sophomore Adrian Johnson to lead an underwhelming group that hopefully gets better as the season progresses. In the secondary, All-American redshirt freshman John Stark will look to pair with upperclassman Stanley Rose and true freshman Tommy Rea to form a solid nucleus. Coaches played around with different combinations in their base package during the scrimmages to try and maximize the trio's playmaking abilities, so it will be interesting to see how they are utilized as the season progresses.

On special teams, Lou Groza award winner Joseph Brewer returns to handle the kicking duties. After an impressive fall camp, coaches have also decided that true freshman Christopher Chapple has won the punting duties over grad transfer Daniel Collins.

On paper, the Middies have the talent to compete for playoff push. It may take more than an appearance for HC David Garcia to keep his job (winless in three playoff appearances). In a division that is always tough, expect the Middies to do just enough to make it into the final spot.

2025 Record Prediction - 10-6