Among the seniors on the Navy football team, wide receiver Jamir Tillman is difficult to miss.

Just by lining up on the outer edge of Navy's triple-option formation, sporting his rangy, 6-feet-4, 212 pounds, Tillman stands out unlike pretty much any receiver that has graced the program in recent memory. When Tillman uses his sturdy frame, leaping ability and huge hands to take advantage of the one-on-one coverage he often exploits by making big plays downfield, that status is reconfirmed.

His teammates and coaches admire Tillman's meticulous, passionate approach - as a route-runner, pass catcher and blocker - to a craft he's attacked for most of his life. They also embrace the shows of emotion that define Tillman's game - for the most part.

"Sometimes, I go over the top, but I try to contain [my emotions]," Tillman says. "The thing is, when I'm out on the field, and it's time to show the work that my brothers and I have put in, football allows me to express myself in ways I can't do in my everyday life. I don't think people want to watch robots out there.

"You get in this zone [on the field], where nothing else matters but football - not what happened in school or what's going on at home or with your girlfriend," he adds. "You're just out there with your brothers, doing what you've learned how to do since you started playing catch with your dad."

Watch Tillman's competitive fire on display, sometimes on overdrive. It reveals itself as he yells at his quarterback while returning to the huddle, following an errant pass that missed him and cost the Midshipmen a first down. It shines during a joyous touchdown celebration, as Tillman walks the line drawn at unsportsmanlike conduct by flicking the ball away instead of handing it to an official. At any given Navy practice, an offensive teammate might get an earful from Tillman for not finishing a play aggressively enough.

Then, there is the playful side of Tillman, who is the opposite of the quiet, brooding type in the pregame locker room.

Tillman is more likely to be singing along to the music in his ear buds, or cracking jokes to loosen up the Mids as kickoff approaches. He also does a pretty good impression of Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo, who will let loose with an emotional rant now and then.

Along with senior fullback Shawn White, his closest friend on the team, Tillman also is a recurring spectator at Navy sporting events. Besides cheering on the basketball teams at Alumni Hall, the pair mimics the moves of visiting coaches and wears referee jerseys while goofing on officials with humorous protests over calls that go against the Mids.

"Jamir is a vibrant person with a big personality that shows on and off the field," says senior slot back and offensive captain Toneo Gulley. "He's a hard-nosed guy, but he always remembers that the game is supposed to be fun."

"[Tillman] is a little bit different than your normal, prototypical Navy football player," says Mick Yokitis, Tillman's position coach and a former Navy wideout. "He's ultra-competitive, which all of the great ones are. If you throw the ball up in his area, he's going to go up there and get it.

"Sure, he's joking and smiling when a lot of guys aren't. But Jamir definitely knows when it's time to be serious. Part of that emotion he shows is him wanting to get the best out of himself and [teammates]."

"We understand Jamir's passion and his grittiness and the emotional level he plays at," adds Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper. "Getting too excited, getting after people, there's a fine line. I don't mind that [emotional] attitude, as long as there is self-control. Jamir will push the envelope at times."

"Jamir is a loving, people-oriented person. Part of what makes him a special player is that he's very emotional," Niumatalolo adds. "Sometimes I just want him to control it a little bit. But I'd feel like a hypocrite if I tried to stop him [from showing emotion], because I'm a very emotional person. His play speaks for itself."

The proof is in the performance. Since breaking into the starting lineup at the beginning of his sophomore season, Tillman has been Navy's mainstay at wide receiver, with an uninterrupted string of 30 starts. Besides being a skilled and relentless blocker in Navy's run-heavy scheme - a job Tillman admits sometimes frustrates him as a playmaker - Tillman is known for gaining big chunks of yardage.

For his career, Tillman has averaged 19 yards per catch in his career, including eight catches for touchdowns. Last year, which followed a strong sophomore season (20 receptions, 386 yards, three TDs), Tillman was most remarkable. He fashioned one of the best years ever produced by a Navy receiver by averaging 20.6 yards on 29 catches and scoring five times.

Tillman became the first player in school history to catch a TD pass in four straight games. He also was the first Navy receiver since 2005 to record back-to-back, 100-yard games.

In Tillman's eyes, the reason he has enjoyed such success is that he has truly embraced the primary mission of all Navy receivers - be a good, consistent blocker, and make the big plays that occasionally avail themselves to him in the Mids' scheme.

The triple option keeps opposing defenses extremely attentive to the running game, which means safeties typically line up in or close to the tackle box. That means Tillman, split wide along the line of scrimmage, usually draws one-on-one coverage on an "island."

The Mids love that matchup, even though coaches such as Jasper realize opponents are certain Tillman is the prime passing option nearly every time. Tillman craves those big-play opportunities.

"Jamir doesn't complain, but I know he wants the ball," Niumatalolo says. "What wideout doesn't want to catch the ball more?"

"I've never questioned that I'm more of a blocking receiver than anything. If I'm not taking on a cornerback, I'm blocking linebackers and defensive ends who out-weigh me by 40 or more pounds," Tillman says.

"I might catch a hundred balls in practice without dropping one, and I might catch one ball in a game," he adds. "I'm all about 'team,' but you get a little made sometimes about not getting the ball much. My Dad used to tell me in middle school that if I wanted to get to the league [NFL], I had better become a better blocker. I was terrible at it back then."

Tillman has had a good mentor. His father, Cedric Tillman, was a star receiver at Alcorn State who went on to play for six seasons (1992-97) in the NFL - the first five with Denver and future Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, the last year with Jacksonville and quarterback Mark Brunnell.

Cedric Tillman also coached Jamir through recreation ball and at nationally-renowned Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada, where the Tillman family resides. Jamir is the oldest of three children by Cedric and Roshanda.

Both of Jamir's parents - Cedric is a junior partner in an accounting firm, Roshanda has worked for nearly two decades in the Department of Family Services, where she is a Child Protective Services supervisor - describe a child who was eager to seek out challenges and was driven in the classroom.

According to Cedric Tillman, Jamir has read every one of the books in the Harry Potter series, yet has never seen one of the movies. He recalls how consumed Jamir was with academic achievement as a youngster, so much so that as an eighth-grader, Jamir was a finalist in a school contest awarding the highest achiever with a PlayStation, a gold watch and $500.

In the end, Jamir edged out the other finalists with a speech that brought some of the faculty members to tears.

As an athlete, Jamir excelled early on at soccer, before playing flag football at age eight, then moving on to football at age 11.

"I noticed when he was young and we'd be playing catch that when Jamir would go up to catch a ball, he had unique body control for a kid that age," said Cedric Tillman, who coaches his son, Cedric, Jr., as a junior at Bishop Gorman.

"Jamir has always been an outspoken leader and a competitive, over-achiever. I never encouraged him to be an NFL player. We were more concerned with him getting a good education and being an over-achiever in life."

By the time Jamir Tillman got to Bishop Gorman, he had grown to nearly six feet. By the end of his freshman season, he would join the varsity and become part of an amazing run at a school that produces Division I players and professionals with regularity.

At Bishop Gorman - which is pursuing its eighth straight state football title and third straight Super 25 national championship in 2016 - Tillman was part of four football state title teams and two state champions in basketball.

His football teammates included current University of Arizona quarter Anu Solomon, UCLA running back Nate Starks and Duke receiver Ryan Smith, who was the Bishop Gorman's main long-ball threat. Tillman was a reliable, chain-moving possession receiver.

His basketball teammates included Ronnie Stanley, now a rookie offensive tackle with the Baltimore Ravens; and Shabazz Mohammad, the 14^th overall pick in the NBA draft in 2013 and a current member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"When he sets his mind to it, Jamir wants to be perfect," Roshanda Tillman says. "Sometimes he'll get a little angry when things don't go his way. He wants the "W" that badly. His attitude is his biggest gift. I sometimes have to remind him to check himself and step back. Wow, has he grown over these last four years."

It wasn't easy at first at Navy, where nearly everyone struggles early. Even Tillman, who came to Annapolis direct, hit a wall as a plebe.

"He got an 'F,' and I think it almost killed him," Cedric Tillman says.

"He called me from Navy [that first fall] and said, 'Mom, this is no joke. This is hard,'" Roshanda recalls. "I told him that it was supposed to be hard. If it was easy, anyone could do it. Jamir has always looked for challenges. He certainly found one [at Navy]. The unknown has panned out."

Jamir Tillman says he still holds out slim hope that a chance at NFL employment might be in his future, but he acknowledges he badly wants to serve his country as a United States Marine Corps Aviation officer.

"I just wanted to go to a school where I'd get a good education and do something I'd be passionate about," he says. "I'm going to be an officer in charge of people. I'm going to have to be good at a lot of things. This place really fits what I want to do with my life."

Before choosing Navy, Tillman turned down offers to play football at Tulsa, Georgetown and Cornell, while schools such as Cal-Berkeley and Stanford cooled after showing interest early in the recruiting process. Years later, in Jasper's opinion, Tillman joins 2011 graduate Greg Jones as the best receivers that have played at Navy during Jasper's 17 seasons in Annapolis.

"It's probably the toughest position to play on this team and the toughest position to coach," Jasper says. "If you block, you play, it's that simple. You have to be very patient and wait for your turn [to shine as a playmaker] when you play here. Jamir wants to use his talent, but he's been as selfless as the rest of the guys in that [wide receivers'] room."

Shawn White became fast friends with Tillman during plebe summer. They're in the same company and closer than ever. White says Tillman has earned every accolade that has come his way.

"When I think of Jamir, I think of a guy who will climb the ladder to catch a ball near the end of practice, when everyone is fatigued," White says. "Then, a three-yard out turns into a 70-yard touchdown run, so he can feel himself reach the end zone.

"He's got some kind of motor. He demands excellence from everybody, and he's not one to be quiet about it," White adds. "The reason he is so successful is because of all of the things he does when nobody is watching."