Navy Midshipmen Athletics x Under Armour
Navy shocked the college football world when they fired longtime coach Ken Niumatalolo. In sixteen seasons at the helm in Annapolis, he won a program record 109 games against just 83 losses.
And, he injected new life into Academy football. Navy’s success made Air Force and Army invest in their programs again. All three have had good seasons in recent years using option offenses similar to the one Niumatalolo used at Navy.
But, another loss to Army did him in. Navy had won a remarkable 14 straight games in the series, but since 2015, Army has won five of seven. This year, the game was considered a tossup, but Navy blew it, and that did the coach in.
It was going to be big shoes to fill for whoever came after the school’s all-time wins leader. After all, it’s not an easy job. While Navy is free to attend for all attendees, there is a mandatory service commitment, and academy life isn’t for everyone. Plus, weight limits on incoming students make recruiting linemen difficult. But, it seems as if Navy has made their pick.
Navy will hire current defensive coordinator Brian Newberry to be their next head coach
Early Monday morning, Pete Thamel had reported that the administration had made its decision.
Sources: Navy is expected to promote defensive coordinator Brian Newberry to head coach. Newberry has been the defensive coordinator since 2019, and Navy finished Top 25 in rush defense, sacks and fumbles recovered this year. An announcement is expected in the near future.
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) December 19, 2022
I’m not sure about this hire. They fired the best head coach in program history because of declining results, but then kept one of his staff members to make him head coach. Seems to me maybe they shouldn’t have fired the coach.
So you fire the HC…and promote the DC. Makes total sense.
— Few or (@FewOr) December 19, 2022
Makes almost no sense. AD comes out publicly saying that the standard had not been met by Coach Ken or his staff. Then he promotes one of his staff.
— GOTHNAZGUL (@GOTHNAZGUL) December 19, 2022
Navy was his first FBS stop, and he made a name for himself as the defensive coordinator at FCS Kennesaw State.
Of course, his mandate is simple. He needs to beat Navy.