Traditions make for emotional week for squad’s seniors
One of the more emotional elements of Navy football senior week comes Friday evening at the team hotel. That is when coach Ken Niumatalolo gives each senior an opportunity to address their teammates.
Many years are shed as the seniors talk about their experiences over the past four years and what the Navy football brotherhood means to them.
“The Friday night team meeting is always emotional with the seniors speaking from the heart,” Niumatalolo said this week.
Chance Warren recalls getting choked up every year during that session and has already begun to think about what he will say when called upon.
“Friday night in the hotel, every senior will have an opportunity to stand up and reflect and say his thank yous and profess his love for his brothers one more time,” Warren said. “It hits a little different now that it’s my turn to stand up and say those last regards.
It’s something that’s going to be emotional.”
That is one of many traditions associated with Senior Day for Navy football. On Saturday, during a pregame ceremony, all 25 seniors will walk onto the field carrying flowers and flanked by family members.
After being introduced and acknowledged one at a time, the seniors will take a group bow then head back into the locker room. They will then lead the team out of the tunnel by running onto the field carrying American flags.
Another tradition is that Navy almost always wins on Senior Day. The Midshipmen sent the seniors out as winners for 17 straight seasons (2003 to 2019) before finally falling in the final home game last season.
Tulsa beat Navy, 19-6, in a nearly empty Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium as the only fans in attendance were a limited number of family members for the seniors.
After the game, the seniors gather at midfield for a group photo. If Navy wins, they run single file into the locker room while being sprayed with water as the underclassmen cheer.
“Senior Day means it’s the last time playing in Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, which is absolutely surreal,” Warren said. “It’s crazy to think I’ve only got 60 minutes left in a stadium that’s given me so many memories.”
This senior class has been through a lot and experienced highs and lows. As sophomores, they were members of a team that went 11-2, beat Army and Air Force to capture the Commander-in-Chief ’s Trophy and upset Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
They played a season that was greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic and saw almost a month’s worth of games canceled or postponed because of contact tracing protocols. Over the past two seasons, they have watched the Midshipmen struggle to 5-14 overall record.
“One thing I will say is the guys in this
senior class have never wavered. We took everything in stride,” Warren said. “Nobody wants to be 2-7 in their senior year, but no one has broken or batted an eye. We just come to work every day.”
It cannot be overstated that this is the first group of Navy football seniors that was asked to sign their two-for-seven papers amidst an historic pandemic. It was a tremendously depressing time at the Naval Academy with the Brigade of Midshipmen on lockdown.
Senior captain Diego Fagot was not surprised that many of his teammates and classmates chose not to sign the document that commits them to five years of military service. Many left the academy before the start of classes junior year and transferred elsewhere.
“It was the hand we were dealt with the pandemic and everyone entering the portal,” Fagot said. “Staying at the academy is hard enough, but then you add to that no liberty, no in-person classes. It was awesome at first, but none of us realized how terrible it is to just sit in your room all day.”
On July 2, 2018, Navy announced a football recruiting class consisting of 56 players from 19 states and the District of Columbia. They had just gone through induction ceremonies and were beginning plebe summer.
There are only 25 members of that recruiting class who are still part of the program and will be honored Saturday. Coach Ken Niumatalolo said that marks a higher attrition rate than normal and blamed the emotional stresses brought about by COVID.
“It’s hard to be a Division I football player. People don’t recognize the time invested,” he said. “It’s hard just to be a student and a midshipman here. Some guys decide they can’t do everything.”
Niumatalolo is especially proud of the 25 remaining seniors and cited the courage they showed by signing the two-for-seven papers during a time of such uncertainty. No one knew in September 2020 how long the academy would remain on restrictions that had midshipmen sequestered inside their dormitory rooms in Bancroft Hall.
“We had to hold a bunch of meetings both individually and as groups because a lot of guys were thinking about leaving,” Niumatalolo said. “Our program took some shots during the pandemic. There were a lot of guys who didn’t stay around. For a lot of reasons, we probably lost more [from this class] than we have in the past.
“If you stayed here and are still fighting, I’ve got the utmost respect for you.”
Fagot was one of those Navy football players who had to consider transferring to a civilian school. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound inside linebacker is an NFL prospect and the path to getting drafted would be much easier elsewhere.
Fagot said this week he had coaches from other schools make contact without having any idea whether he was considering entering the transfer portal. He remained at the academy out of respect for the teammates and coaches who helped him along the way.
“This place is very tough, especially going through the COVID year we had. There are all sorts of other challenges outside of COVID,” Fagot said. “For the 25 that are still here, I’m proud of them for sticking it out.”
Navy’s on-field struggles the past two seasons most certainly correlate to the fact 21 recruited players are no longer part of the program. While the stresses of the pandemic and ease of entering the transfer portal were factors, there is also an abnormally high number of seniors (17) who left the team and remained at the Naval Academy.
Five former players have remained involved with Navy football by working as assistants in the recruiting department.
“Without my brothers on this team, I don’t think I would have made it all four years and I don’t think I would have signed those papers,” Warren said. “Because I have brothers like Tyger Goslin, Carlinos Acie — I could go down the list and name every senior in this class — it made this place that much more special and worth staying.
“For the guys that stuck it out all four years, it’s a testament to how tough they are. To be able to balance the rigors of academics, military and Division I football is not easy.”
NAVY FOOTBALL RECRUITING CLASS OF 2018
Name, Position, Height, Weight, Hometown/High School, Current Status
Carlinos Acie, SB, 5-10, 180, McKeesport, PA/McKeesport, Starter
Will Andersen, DL, 6-1, 297, Morristown, NJ/Delbarton, Transferred to Colgate
Pierce Banbury, OL, 6-3, 285, Fairfax, VA/Oakton, Starter Nick Bernacchi, OL, 6-2, 275, Fairfax Station, VA/Robinson Secondary, Third string
Timber Berzins, DL, 6-3, 250, Annapolis, MD/St. Mary’s, Navy recruiting assistant
Jeremiah Boyd, OLB, 6-1, 210, Newport News, VA/Heritage, Navy recruiting assistant
Kevin Brennan, OLB, 6-0, 205, Ramsey, NJ/Don Bosco Prep, Captain, starter before being injured
Peter Brown, WR, 6-2, 205, Kentfield, CA/Marin Catholic, Left team, still at academy
Tony Brown, OLB, 6-3, 195, Erial, NJ/Timber Creek, Transferred to Robert Morris
Jamale Carothers, SB, 5-8, 186, Bowling Green, KY/Bowling Green, Transferred to Western Kentucky
Caleb Clear, DB, 6-1, 180, Memphis, TN/Cordova, Left team, still at academy
Matt Conlon, DL, 6-3, 275, Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep, Third string
Mychal Cooper, WR, 6-5, 195, San Antonio, TX/Taft, Captain, starter
Dakare Coston, DB, 6-1, 186, Virginia Beach, VA/Ocean Lakes, Navy recruiting assistant
Nicholas Dell’Acqua, DL, 6-4, 280, Chula Vista, CA/Mater Dei, Left team, still at academy
Sam Dixon, FB, 5-10, 200, San Marcos, CA/Mission Hills, Left team, still at academy
Diego Fagot, OLB, 6-3, 235, Coral Springs, FL/Calvary Christian, Captain, starter
Ben Fee, K, 5-10, 190, Orchard Lake, MI/St. Mary’s Prep, Starting kickoff specialist
Luca Fratianne, OL, 6-3, 290, Newbury Park, CA/Newbury Park, Not on depth chart
Ben Glass, QB, 6-1, 185, Germantown, TN/St. George’s Independent, Navy recruiting assistant
Marcell Gleaton, WR, 6-4, 195, Ellenwood, GA/Community Christian, Second string before being injured
Jamal Glenn, DB, 5-10, 175, Washington, DC/ Maret, Starter Tyger Goslin, QB, 5-11, 190, Moorpark, CA/Moorpark, Second string
James Harris II, FB, 6-0, 210, Mobile, AL/Faith Academy, Second string
Devon High, SB, 6-1, 180, Lebanon, TN/Wilson Central, Transferred
Blake Holley, LB, 6-1, 225, Lake Barrington, IL/Barrington, Navy recruiting assistant
Myles James, LB, 5-11, 225, Powder Springs, GA/McEachern, Deceased
Mitchell Johns, LB, 6-2, 220, Leesburg, Va/Gonzaga, Scout team
Josh Johnson, SB, 5-9, 170, Dallas, TX/Poteet, Left team, still at academy
Keegan Jones, SB, 5-9170, Cleveland, TN/Cleveland, Transferred to UCLA
John Kelly III, OLB, 6-3, 222, Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell, Second string
Tommy Lawley, OLB, 6-2, 205, Newton, NC/Davidson, Left team, still at academy
Cal Long, DL, 6-3, 220, Austin, TX/Regents School of Austin, Third string
Jack Lundgren, LB, 6-2, 210, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL/Bolles School, Left team, still at academy
Jelani McCargo, FB, 6-1, 215, Camden, NJ/Woodrow Wilson, Unknown
Michael McMorris, DB, 5-11, 180, Buford, GA/Buford, Starter Brendan Mitchell, WR, 6-5, 210Edmond, OK/Edmond Memorial, Transferred
Jackson Mitchell, OL, 6-4, 275, Westwood, NJ/Paramus Catholic, Left team, still at academy
Chike Otaluka, DB, 6-0, 190, Johns Creek, GA/Northview, Third string
Tyler Rogers, DB, 5-9, 179, San Marcos, CA/San Marcos, Transferred
Isaac Ruoss, FB, 6-1, 210, Shillington, PA/Governor Mifflin, Starter
Michael Salisbury, OLB, 6-2, 187, Shelbyville, TN/Shelbyville Central, Scout team
Bryce Shaw, LB, 6-1, 208, Bridgewater, MA/Bridgewater-Raynham, Transferred to New Hampshire
Cameron Shook, K/P, 6-3, 192, Grosse Pointe, MI/Grosse Pointe South, Transferred to Iowa State
Kevin Spencer, S, 5-11, 180, Dyersburg, TN/Dyersburg, Unknown
John Stamos, LB, 6-2, 225, Anaheim Hills, CA/Villa Park, Left team, still at academy
Steve Steen, QB, 6-0, 170, Odessa, TX/Permian, Left team, still at academy
Camren Taylor, DB, 6-3, 190, Memphis, TN/Lausanne, Left team, still at academy
Daniel Taylor, DB, 5-10, 180, Brentwood, TN/Brentwood Academy, Special teams starter
Bryce Texeira, OL, 6-3, 285, Waukesha, WI/Waukesha West, Second string
Adam Tounkara, OL, 6-2, 280, Rockville, MD/Richard Montgomery, Left team, still at academy
Chance Warren, SB, 5-10, 175, Enterprise, AL/Enterprise, Starter
Jarius Warren, DL, 6-2, 260, Long Beach, MS/Long Beach, Starter
Mitch West, DB, 5-10, 175, Naperville, IL/Montini Catholic, Starter before being injured
Deondrae Williams, DL, 6-3, 242, Smiths, AL/Smiths Station, Second string
Collins Woods, WR, 6-3, 190, Eight Mile, AL/Blount, Transferred to Itawamba Community College