‘We are very gifted athletically’
Navy expects to lean on deep, talented receiver corps
These are heady times for the silverbacks.
That is the nickname bestowed on the Navy wide receiver corps early in the current triple-option era. It comes from the term given to older male gorillas that develop grayish white hair on their backs and shoulders as they age.
Wide receivers coach Mick Yokitis came up with the term to promote unity within the position. Silverback gorillas are known to be protective of family members and will fight to the death to defend their own. Yokitis wanted his position players to adopt a similar mindset.
Coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper said last week this current crop of wide receivers is the best they’ve seen at Navy. Those two would know, having spent 22 and 21 years, respectively, with the program.
Of course, Yokitis is wary of such praise so early in the season. He agrees this might be the deepest and most talented unit of the triple-option era but will wait until after the season to make any declarations.
“We’ve only played two games so far and we haven’t done a whole lot,” said Yokitis, who played wide receiver at Navy from 2003 through 2005.
Navy’s wideouts provided a tantalizing display of their potential during the second half of the 27-24 come-from-behind win against Tulane Sept. 19. Starters Mychal Cooper and Mark Walker combined for five catches and 129 yards, flashing downfield ability.
Cooper scored a touchdown off a 32-yard completion down the middle, while Walker set up a touchdown with a 44-yard reception off a deep seam route. Backup Devin Mathews contributed a two-point conversion catch, getting open in the back of the end zone on a crossing route.
Marcell Gleaton almost got into the act, leaping high to snag a pass over the middle. However, Gleaton got drilled in the back while coming back down and could not hold onto the ball.
What makes Navy football followers sit up and take notice is the overall look of this unit. Cooper looks like an NFL wide receiver at 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, while Gleaton (6-3, 224) and Mathews (6-4, 214) have similar size.
Meanwhile, Walker ranks as one of the fastest wide receivers in recent Navy history — flashing his superior speed twice against Tulane.
“Coach is right, we are very gifted athletically. I don’t know if we’re the toughest group just yet,” Yokitis said. “That’s something we need to continue to work on — the toughness aspect.”
Cooper shined against Tulane, also catching a 24-yard pass off a crossing pattern to jump-start Navy’s first touchdown drive.
The San Antonio native has emerged as the go-to guy and leader of the unit as a junior after leading Navy with18 catches for 380 yards and two touchdowns in 2019. Yokitis said in August that Cooper “has as much talent as anybody we’ve ever had here at the wide receiver position.”
Yokitis said Cooper recorded the most
missed assignments of any Navy wide receiver last season. That issue was addressed in the offseason and Cooper spent considerable time studying the playbook.
Against Tulane, Cooper graded highly for executing assignments. Navy ran 68 plays and Cooper was on the field for 62, a high percentage for wide receivers in the triple-option.
“With how hard we ask our guys to play, that’s incredible to me,” Yokitis said. “I thought Cooper played one of the best games of his career against Tulane. … What he did in the blocking game was what impressed me the most.”
Cooper is one of two returning starters along with senior Ryan Mitchell, who broke his hand toward the end of August camp and has not been able to play offense yet this season. Mitchell played on special teams against both BYU and Tulane despite wearing a bulky cast.
Mitchell led Navy in yards per reception (22.9) and was reliable as a blocker last season. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound native of Roanoke, Virginia, had a career-long catch of 74 yards against Connecticut, turning a short crossing route into a big gain.
During preseason, Yokitis spoke about how Mitchell has taken ownership of the unit — setting up position meetings and holding others accountable.
“We can’t wait to get Mitch back on offense. He’s a guy that understands exactly what we’re trying to do,” Yokitis said. “As a senior, Mitch has taken his game to the next level as far as work ethic and leadership.”
Gleaton and Cooper had the look of a future dynamic duo when they came in together as plebes. However, Gleaton has not developed and is still seeking his first catch. The Georgia native played in all 13 games as a member of specials teams last season and was credited with five tackles.
“As a staff, we’re really high on Gleaton right now. He probably had the best camp out of any of the wide receivers,” Yokitis
said. “We’re expecting big things from Gleaton.”
Mathews, a sophomore, also got his feet wet on special teams in 2019. A third-team All-State selection in talent-laden Florida, the Palm Coast resident added 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason. The sophomore played for his father at Matanzas High.
After spending three seasons on the scout team, senior Emmett Davis made the travel roster. The Broadneck High graduate, whose father and namesake is an assistant with the Navy men’s basketball program, brings toughness to the group.
Yokitis mentioned during a virtual news conference that Davis has made a lot of plays in practice, including a couple touchdown catches.
“Not many guys have worked as hard as Emmett has over the last four years, and it’s finally paying off for him. He’s another son of a coach who has a good understanding of the game and loves to compete,” Yokitis said. “I have complete confidence if we have to play with Emmett he’ll do a really job for us.”
If the Tulane game is any indication, this wide receiver corps is going to get plenty of targets. Senior quarterback Dalen Morris is one of the strongest passers of the tripleoption era at Navy and showed an ability to push the ball downfield in leading the greatest comeback in program history.
Yokitis said the wide receiver corps has already developed great chemistry with Morris, whose talent might lead the Midshipmen to throw the ballmore than usual this season. After averaging eight passes per game a year ago, Navy could increase that figure to double digits.
“What I liked about what I saw against Tulane was that our guys were ready,” he said. “I was encouraged that when our number got called, we made a lot of big plays in that game.”
After three seasons in the system, Cooper has come to relish the silverbacks nickname and what it stands for.
“Gorillas are very family-oriented, but they’re also very aggressive,” Cooper said. “We’re a family in the wide receiver room, we’re very close. At the same time, if you mess with our family — Navy football — we’ll put you in the ground.”