Name:  Donald Berniard Jr.

Year: Sophomore

Position: Nose Guard

Height: 6'0"

Weight: 265

Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.

High School: University Lab

Major: Political Science

What do you want to do after graduation and why?  I want to go into the surface warfare community. Seeing the type of people that surround that community fits my personality.

Why did you choose Navy? The opportunity it offered on so many levels was just a no brainer for me. To receive a top tier education while also playing FBS football, I just couldn't say no.

What would you tell somebody that is considering coming to Navy to play football? Don't take any opportunity for granted here. Every little chance you get, either in the classroom or football field, plays a huge and important role in the success of your long term goals.

If you could play another position, what position would you play and why? Striker, I feel that strikers can just roam around and be dogs and make plays.
 
If you could choose any opponent for Navy to play that is currently not on the schedule who would you choose and why? No doubt LSU, it's the hometown team and I want to see how good I really am.
 
Favorite class at the Naval Academy and why? Government is my favorite class at the Naval Academy, learning the structure of how our government works really interests me.

Hardest class at the Naval Academy and why? Chemistry is the hardest class at the Naval Academy due to the many processes you have to know.
 
Favorite teacher at the Naval Academy and why?  LT Alfriend is my favorite teacher at the Naval Academy because of the atmosphere that he created in the classroom. He made my government class really enjoyable and got me interested in majoring in Political Science. Also, a shout out to  Prof. Clark who made me love my first semester English class.
 
Favorite form of social media and why? Snapchat, probably because it's easy to get in contact with some of my friends and its popular among my generation.

Favorite person to follow on social media and why? Mike Althouse, who is a Naval Academy grad. Just seeing the way he supports every aspect of the Naval Academy and the Mids is cool and his sports commentary amazes me. In his Twitter bio it says "USNA Twitter Sponsor Dad" and I couldn't agree with that more.

Favorite sport to follow at the Naval Academy outside of football and why? Basketball, I've always been a big basketball fan and I enjoy watching the game.

If you didn't play football at Navy, what sport would you play and why? I would throw the shot put, because that is what I did in high school.
 
If you had to be quarantined with four people associated with Navy Football, who would you choose and why? Xavier McDonald, Tai Lavatai, Jacob Busic and Sam Glover. They have been my boys since NAPS and they would make quarantine an enjoyable experience.

What song is playing on your headphones in the locker room right before taking the field?   Man of the Year- Schoolboy Q

What is your dream vacation? Any island vacation sounds nice.

How many teams should make the FBS Playoffs? 8
 
What is the best thing about being in the American Athletic Conference? Every week the game is a tossup. There is no best or worst team in this league. You have to be on your A-game every week.
 
Favorite Coach Niumatalolo quote:  "Its freakin hard to win"
 
One word to describe a Navy Football player:  Resilient
 
Who will be the surprise player on offense in 2021 and why?Tai Lavatai, because the way he's grown in the offense the last couple of years will be on full display this year.
 
Who will be the surprise player on defense in 2021 and why? Jacob Busic, he should fit in our defense very well.
 
Who is the toughest player on the Navy football team and why? Michael Salisbury, it's like he never runs out of energy.
 
What player epitomizes Navy Football and why? Michael McMorris.  He doesn't talk a lot, he just goes about his business. He might not be the biggest guy on the field but he plays like a 6'2, 210 corner.
 
Who will be the Most Valuable Player on offense in 2021 and why? Tai Lavatai, because he knows the offense well and he will open some eyes this year.
 
Who will be the Most Valuable Player on defense in 2021 and why? Diego Fagot, he'll make a lot of plays for us and the experience he has will bring us a long way.

What was the biggest lesson you learned during COVID-19?  Perseverance through the pain.
 
What are you most looking forward to in 2021 now that things are back to "normal"?  The real atmosphere with fans of college football. It's already been nice to see people at different sporting events without any masks or restrictions.