Wide receiver could become new passer
Mids may audition Warren to take over at QB for Perry
Spring football practice is the time for experimentation. Whether it’s schemes or personnel, coaching staffs will tinker and test things out.
Navy football has always made numerous position changes going into spring camp — either to plug holes on the depth chart or give players a new lease on life.
Two years ago, Evan Fochtman switched from quarterback to safety and made quite an impression during spring camp. The Archbishop Spalding product proved he could excel on the defensive side of the ball and wound up seeing considerable action at the hybrid linebacker position known as striker during his sophomore season.
There are numerous similar examples as the Navy staff, led by head coach Ken Niumatalolo, has done a superb job of finding the proper position fit for players. Of course, there are also many instances in which such experiments do not work out and the players return to their previous position.
Navy was forced to cancel spring practice this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. That prevented the offensive staff from evaluating one position change
with the potential to make a major impact on the 2020 season.
Had Navy held spring camp, Chance Warren would have switched from wide receiver to quarterback. The multi-talented junior, who began his collegiate career as a slotback, would only have remained at quarterback if he earned the starting position.
Moving Warren to quarterback was a case of the Navy coaching staff following the same philosophy it did with Malcolm Perry: In a triple-option offense in which the quarterback touches the ball on every play, put your best athlete under center.
It was offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper who suggested giving Warren a look at quarterback. Last season, Warren made multiple throws every day in practice as the primary trigger man on a trick play in which the wide receiver takes a pitch, then pulls up and passes downfield.
Warren had good success with the play in games, completing 2 of 3 passes for 19 yards and a touchdown. Against Air Force, the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder completed an 18-yard pass to slotback Tazh Maloy to spark Navy’s game-winning drive. Against archrival Army, he delivered a critical 1-yard touchdown toss to fullback Jamale Carothers.
Warren primarily played wide receiver at Enterprise High in Alabama but did see some action at quarterback. He was also a standout shortstop on the baseball diamond and displays a strong throwing arm in highlight clips.
“In the back of my mind, I kind of thought Chance could be successful playing quarterback in our system,” Jasper told The Capital in late April. “It’s a similar situation to Malcolm — he’s a dynamic athlete who is very dangerous with the ball in his hands. To be honest, the thing I like about Chance is his energy and leadership. Kids respond really well to him. He’s a competitor and a playmaker.”
Warren is still listed as a quarterback and wide receiver on Navy’s roster. However, he is only listed as a backup wide receiver on the depth chart. As a sophomore, he had six receptions for 91yards and a touchdown, including a 41-yard catch with just 23 seconds left against Kansas State in AutoZone Liberty Bowl. That set up the game-winning field goal by kicker Bijan Nichols.
Warren also scored a touchdown with a 20-yard run off a reverse, one of five such attempts during the season.
Navy will only have about four weeks of football practice in preparation for its season opener against Notre Dame over Labor Day weekend. In a recent interview, Niumatalolo indicated the coaching staff would follow through on the plan of evaluating Warren at quarterback.
“Chance is a viable candidate,” Niumatalolo said. “He’s played some quarterback in the past and has a good arm. As a runner, he’s super dynamic. Chance has all the tools to play quarterback. He has great hands, can make people miss in space and throws a nice ball. Above all, Chance is one of the fiercest competitors on our team.”
When approached about making the switch, Warren replied, “I’d love a shot at playing quarterback,” Niumatalolo said.
Sophomore Perry Olsen will enter preseason training camp atop the depth chart after serving as the backup quarterback in 2019. He appeared in eight games in relief of Perry, and his most extensive action came against Notre Dame when he replaced Perry midway through the third quarter and went the rest of the way.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Oklahoma native led Navy on two touchdown drives, capping the first with a 2-yard run and later tossing a 43-yard scoring strike to wide receiver Mychal Cooper.
Sophomore Massai Maynor (North Brunswick, New Jersey) and senior Dalen Morris (Huntsville, Alabama) are currently listed second and third on the depth chart.
“We need to find a quarterback to replace Malcolm — that was our No. 1 job during this offseason. Now that’s been put on hold,” Niumatalolo said. “There’s going to be an open competition and [we] will find out soon who has been working out by themselves, who has been studying on their own.”
Captain my captain
Niumatalolo initially had planned to have players vote for the team captains toward the end of spring camp.
Obviously, that did not happen and now Navy will enter preseason workouts without any captains. Niumatalolo said he’ll likely begin that process after the entire team has been on campus for a couple weeks.
Navy football players are scheduled to report to the academy July 6. Niumatalolo believes it’s important for the players to see which seniors return in superb condition, which would be a clear indication they have been working out on their own while at home.
“We’ll let this team assimilate a little bit,” he said. “It might be at some point during camp. We’ll just have to let that transpire.
“You need to be careful. We want the captainship to be something that has been earned.”
Striker force
Navy has been forced to rebuild the depth chart at the hybrid outside linebacker position known as striker. That is due to the fact the top three players at that position all entered the transfer portal.
Jake Springer, who started 10 of13 games at striker in 2019, entered the transfer portal in mid-March and is hoping to transfer to a Power Five school. Springer led Navy in tackles for a loss (16) and sacks (eight) as a junior.
Tony Brown, who made three starts at striker last season, announced his intent to transfer in late May. Brown, who clinched a thrilling victory over Air Force with a fumble return for touchdown, has not announced a destination.
Chelen Garnes, who was slated to move from safety to striker to challenge for the starting spot, recently announced he is transferring to Wake Forest.
Navy recently issued an updated depth chart that lists senior Austin TalbertLoving as the starter at striker. The Bowie resident will be converting from inside linebacker. The 6-foot, 210-pounder was one of Navy’s top special teams players last season and recorded 13 tackles in 13 games.
Sophomores Joshua Adams (Birmingham, Alabama) and Vincent Thomas Jr. (Durham, North Carolina) are listed second and third, respectively, at striker. Neither youngster saw varsity action in 2019.