Navy Midshipmen

Head Coach

Ken Niumatalolo	1st year
07-08	8-5
Independent	1-0
FCR	51

Previous Season Wins

Head Coach - Ken Niumatalolo takes over for Paul Johnson and one thing is certain, Navy will run the ball. Niumatalolo has been the top assistant at the Academy for the last 10 years and as offensive coordinator he’s been calling the plays for an offense that has led the nation in rushing for the past three seasons. The skill guys on offense return but the line will need rebuilding, the defense will be better as they return eight starters. The Midshipmen will look the same, can they have the nations best run attack for the FOURTH year in a row, Yes.

Quarterback - The man who runs the ship is senior quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, he was second on the team in rushing with 834 yards and he 952 yards and 8 TD’s. He has great quickness and looks to run first but also has a solid arm and the Midshipmen were 14th in passing efficiency last season. Senior Jarod Bryant is the number two man but he’ll be on the field often, he rushed for 464 yards and 5 TD’s and had 252 yards passing, he’s even quicker than Kaheaku-Enhada and will also used to out of the backfield as a receiver and he’s an elite return specialist.

Running Backs - Navy uses a two slot back formation and returning at one spot will be senior Shun White, he rushed for 620 yards and 7 TD’s, he also has great speed and gets behind the defenders in a hurry. Jarod Bryant will get time at the other slot as will senior Greg Shinego who been primarily a special teamer during his career. At fullback is senior Eric Kettani who was the teams leading rusher a year ago with 880 yards rushing and he added 10 TD’s, great speed for a fullback he’s also a capable blocker.

Receivers - The Navy quarterbacks completed only 72 passes last season, that wouldn’t even be a good year for most teams number one receiver. Returning at wide receiver is senior Tyree Barnes; he had 10 receptions for a respectable 168 yards last season as the number two option but will get more opportunities as the main man. Look for senior Curtis Sharp on the other side; he’s more of a tight end type or receiver and an excellent blocker in the Navy attack.

Offensive Line - They will be led by two seniors in Andrew McGinn at right tackle and at right guard will be Anthony Gaskins, The new faces upfront will senior Ricky Moore at center. Junior Austin Mike will be the left tackle and junior Curtis Bass will be the new left guard. Its Navy football, their undersized, they’ve got great quickness and they have a system in place that enables them to excel in run blocking. Will they be as good as last year’s unit, probably not but with Kaheaku-Enhada, Bryant and Kettani running behind them things will be OK.

Defensive Line - Two starters return for Navy upfront in their 3-4-4 scheme, the Midshipmen struggled in all areas defensively in 07’ and return eigth starters so improve will be expected this fall. On the outside at defensive end will be senior Michael Walsh and junior Matt Nechak, Walsh is the leader upfront and he had 57 tackles and three sacks, like most Navy players he will rely more on quickness than size. Inside on the nose will be senior Nate Frazier, he had 42 tackles and improved as the year progressed and will be a fixture in the middle for the Midshipmen for the next two seasons.

Linebackers - Senior Clint Sovie and junior Ross Pospisil both return and will be in the middle, Sovie was a big contributor in 06’ but missed much of last season and is welcome addition while Pospisil had 67 tackles and an interception last season. On the outside will be senior Corey Johnson and junior Craig Schaefer, they’re both good athletes and Schaefer had an outstanding spring. The unit as a whole are built more like safeties and this will be the smallest linebacking unit in America, they’ll need to use their speed to create more havoc to make up for their lack of bulk.

Defensive Backs - The good new is the unit returns intact, the bad news is they ranked 106th against the pass and had but five interceptions as a unit. At cornerback will be seniors Rashawn King and Ketric Buffin, at the free safety is sophomore Wyatt Middleton and the Rover will be senior Jeff Deliz. Middleton is the teams leading returning tackler with 88 and Buffin had four interceptions to lead the team in 07’. Deliz missed time last year and is the wild card, he’s excellent against the run and he’ll be a big plus, as a whole they’re a year older and look for improvement from the group as a whole.

Special Teams - Matt Harmon returns as Navy’s placekicker, he was 6 of 10 but has yet to show much range, the new punter will be sophomore Kyle Delahooke Jarod Bryant is an elite punt return and handling the kick returns will sophomore Emmett Merchant and Shun White, the Midshipmen have outstanding speed in the coverage and return teams.

Schedule - Weeks 2 & 3 has them on the road at Ball St and Duke, both teams will be better and they follow that with games against Rutgers and Wake Forest so a good start will be critical to the teams success. They beat SMU and Army but the Temple game might be closer than most people think. The defense will be better and the Midshipmen will pound the ball and drive opponents crazy. Look for a slight step back and Navy will get 7+ wins this year.