As the offensive coordinator at Samuel Clemens High School in San Antonio, Brad Molder had no way of knowing back then how far Billy Honaker's precocious talent would take him. But Molder was certain early on that Honaker had intriguing potential as an offensive lineman playing at the 6A level in the football hotbed of Texas.

For starters, as a 6-1 lineman whose frame was beginning to fill out, Honaker could really move quickly out of his stance and execute a block in close quarters or in the open field. His maturity was revealed in his daily commitment to high effort and proper fundamentals.

But it was Honaker's football acumen that turned Molder's head and convinced him that the kid was destined to do special things on and off the field.

It showed in the way Honaker would study film on his own time and decode what opposing defenses were doing and suggest how to counter it. It showed when Honaker, who jumped from freshman ball to varsity in one year, would pepper Molder with observations and suggestions in meetings, during practice and on the sidelines during the game.

Thinking back to those moments, it makes perfect sense to Molder that Honaker, Navy's senior right tackle, is a second-year starter and a 6-feet-3, 282-pound anchor on the Navy offensive line. It also came as no surprise to Molder that Honaker —a former, two-year co-captain at Clemens — recently was voted by Mids' players as captain on that side of the ball.

"I know who Billy is and how he represents himself and his family and his team," Molder says. "He was the rock of our offense in his last two years at Clemens. He was my right-hand assistant on the field.

"I think of him coming off the field following an offensive series. Most guys would come over to me with a problem — we can't run this because the defense is doing that. Billy always had a solution when he came off the field — let's tweak this formation or try this to combat what the defense was doing. Billy wanted to fix it. It was like having another quarterback looking over a defense."

The players and coaches at Navy appreciate Honaker's aptitude, along with his toughness, leadership and rock-solid consistency.

As an undersized sophomore guard, who then weighed about 260, Honaker willed his way onto the field, primarily on special teams. While he struggled to master the speed and nuances of the spread option offense, he hardly struggled producing pure hustle, day after day, rep after rep.

Following that disappointing, 3-10 season, Honaker moved to offensive tackle, picked up more weight and was breaking into the starting lineup by the spring of 2019.

Last season, with quarterback Malcolm Perry at the controls and Honaker starting for the first time on an experienced line anchored by center Ford Higgins, the offense led the way in Navy's  historic turnaround. The Mids reclaimed the Commander-In-Chief's trophy by edging Air Force and routing Army, and completed their 11-2 season with a 20-17 victory over Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.

Honaker was an integral part of an offense that set the school record for rushing yards per game (360.5), single-season rushing yards (4,687) and single-season rushing yards per attempts (6.1). The line cleared plenty of paths for Perry, who became the only quarterback in FBS history to break the 2,000-yard rushing barrier.

"[Honaker] was a big part of our success last year," says Higgins, who graduated in May and is working on Navy's coaching staff this season as a graduate assistant (TAD).

"Billy is a hard-charging, hard-nosed guy who plays with great effort on every snap," Higgins adds. "If you're in a dark alley, you want Billy by your side. He is exactly what we need on our offensive line. He's so consistent every day. Last year, he was non-stop until the whistle blew or Malcolm was in the end zone. There is a reason people listen to him and follow him."

"Billy became one of my best friends after we started this journey together [at the Naval Academy prep school in Newport, R.I. in 2016]," says senior guard Sean Rattay. "He is the same Billy every day with the same mindset and high motor. People just look to him when he steps into a room. I think he was born with leadership qualities."

As much as Honaker means to his teammates —he is equal parts brawler and technician, a teacher and motivator with his peers in the huddle and locker room, tough enough to drag around nagging injuries throughout last season without missing a start — Honaker's humility carries a lot of weight.

When Honaker recapped some of his breakout season recently, his ego was firmly in check. He ripped himself for killing drives by committing penalties. He blamed himself for causing fumbles by missing blocks. He deflected praise.

"To be able to critique yourself makes you a better person," says Honaker, who was moved after being elevated to offensive captain. "Being in this super-weird time with Covid-19, it's not how you imagine your senior season starting. But to have my teammates show that kind of mutual respect for me like this, it's kind of surreal.

"My job on the offensive line and as captain is to share my experiences as much as possible with the guys. I want to shed some light on things when we're in games, while holding everyone to the same standard in practice. Upholding that standard is one of my biggest jobs."

As Honaker recalls, until the day as a junior at Clemens that he got a recruiting call from Navy assistant Danny O'Rourke — who coaches offensive tackles with the Mids — Honaker had never heard of the Naval Academy.

He was, however, quite familiar with the history of military service in his family.

Roy Honaker, Billy's father, had enlisted briefly in the U.S. Air Force in 1987. Twenty-two years later, the 40-year-old Honaker, spurred by the death of his cousin's son fighting in Afghanistan, enlisted in the U.S. Army as a medic. Roy Honaker would serve for eight years, including one tour in Iraq.

Both of Billy Honaker's grandparents served in Viet Nam, one with the U.S. Navy, the other with the Air Force. An aunt and uncle also served in Viet Nam.

"Billy has seen enough sacrifice and hard work around him. He's not looking for a short cut. He is not about himself," Roy Honaker says. "Team is a big deal to him. He will become [in May] the first true military officer in the family."

Billy Honaker was first offered the chance to play college football by Air Force. But one conversation with O'Rourke — and Navy's tremendous, recent run of success led by four-year starting, record-setting QB Keenan Reynolds — pulled him toward Annapolis. When he visited the school following his junior year, the future was set.

"Football was my ticket to getting an education my parents wouldn't have to take on a burden to pay for," says Honaker, who also fielded an offer from Texas State. "Once I made an unofficial visit to Navy, it was over."

Honaker, who didn't play organized football until seventh grade, majors in general engineering. He aims to be commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

"Bill always has had a level head, always thinks things through. He calculates," Roy Honaker says.

"[Honaker] is the no-nonsense leader of our [offensive line] group," says Ashley Ingram, Navy's longtime assistant who coordinates the running game and coaches centers and guards. "You're never concerned with him showing up and giving great effort and having the right mindset that day."

The road as a Mid has been up and down for Honaker. Like many lineman, he struggled to put on and maintain weight as a young player, and scratched and clawed for practice reps during his first two years. The low point of finishing 3-10 was erased by the amazing, 11-2 reversal — although not for long.

On February 20, senior guard David Forney tragically died in his Bancroft Hall dormitory room. The state's medical examiner concluded that Forney was stricken by massive cardiac arrest and natural causes.

"Losing him, it's still rough, it still hurts six months later," Honaker says. "Keeping his memory alive is still the ultimate goal."

A month after Forney's untimely passing, Covid-19 struck. Spring football was scrapped. Remote learning became the norm for students of all ages. Zoom meetings became the main line of communication between student-athletes and coaches everywhere.

"At the beginning of this pandemic in March, during our virtual meetings, Billy was pretty vocal with his opinions about things. His personality really showed," says Ken Niumatalolo, Navy's 13th-year head coach.

"He has carried that onto the field. The offensive line sets the tempo for the team with their work ethic. Billy has worked his way into being a really good football player. He just grinds."

"Billy excelled his way up [the depth chart]. Now he's moved into a spot where the young guys look up to him," says senior center Justin Self, whose time with Honaker dates to their NAPS year together. "He has taken [being team captain] to heart. He has kept that humble attitude by trying to get a little bit better every day."

Having coached Honaker for four years at Clemens High, Molder is certain that Honaker's humility will not fade. Nor will the nasty streak that has helped him thrive in the trenches.

"I can still see Billy practice his steps or working on his leverage or sprinting down the field to block a safety. He was very detailed, even back then," Molder says.

"There are very few football players with truly dual personalities," Molder adds. "If his helmet was off, he treated people with such kindness and respect, the way I'd want my sons to be. But when he bucked his chin strap, you had better buckle yours or you were going to be in a world of hurt. Very few guys I've ever coached could put both of those things together. Billy sure could."