ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The annual Navy football senior tribute took place Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall, where several prestigious awards from the 2025 season were presented.
 
The 2025 Navy football team had one of the best seasons in school history, finishing 11-2 and ranked No. 23 in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches polls. It marked just the fourth time since 1963 that Navy ended the season ranked in the AP poll and the first time since 2019.
 
The Midshipmen produced back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time in school history. The 11 wins tied the school record (Navy also won 11 games in 2015 and 2019). Navy's 21 wins over the last two years are the most in school history over a two-year span, and its 21-5 record (.808) during that time ranks eighth-best in the FBS and best among the non-autonomy four.
 
Navy defeated Army 17-16 to win the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies — Navy, Air Force and Army — and named in honor of the president of the United States. Navy has won the trophy in back-to-back years and 13 times in the last 23 years.
 
Navy was also voted the winner of the Lambert Trophy, awarded to the best team in the East. It marked the first time since 2015 and just the second time since 1963 that the Midshipmen have won the award.
 
Navy closed the season with a 35-13 win over Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl. It was Navy's fourth consecutive bowl victory, all against autonomy four teams (Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Cincinnati).
 
Senior quarterback Blake Horvath (Hilliard, Ohio) was named the winner of the E.E. "Rip" Miller Award, presented to the season's most valuable player as voted on by his teammates. It is the second straight year Horvath has won the award.
 
One of the most accomplished quarterbacks in program history, Horvath became the first Navy quarterback to rush and pass for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons and the first quarterback in the FBS to rush and pass for 1,200 yards in consecutive seasons since Lamar Jackson accomplished the feat at Louisville in 2015-16.
Since 1956, Horvath is one of only five quarterbacks to rush for 1,200 yards and pass for 1,200 yards in consecutive seasons, joining Jackson, Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, Pat White of West Virginia and Brad Smith of Missouri.
 
Horvath finished the 2024 season with the second-most total offense in school history (2,599 yards) and tied the program record with 13 touchdown passes. He followed that performance in 2025 with 2,780 yards of total offense, including 1,580 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 1,200 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, earning first-team All-East honors.
 
He set the school record with 469 yards of total offense against Air Force and owns the longest rush in program history with a 95-yard touchdown run against Oklahoma in Navy's 21-20 victory over the Sooners in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
 
Over his career, Horvath ranked among the most efficient quarterbacks in service academy history, posting the highest career passing efficiency (162.5) by any service academy quarterback with at least 150 attempts, the second-best completion percentage in school history (.588) behind Roger Staubach, and top-five marks at Navy in passing touchdowns (27), total offense (5,646 yards) and points responsible for (360) during one of the most successful eras in Navy football.
 
Horvath was also named the winner of the Cmdr. Ralph Sentman Award, which honors the member of the graduating class from the varsity football team who has achieved the highest ranking in academic order of merit.
 
Horvath was a first-team Academic All-American and the Division I Football Team Member of the Year (top scholar-athlete) by College Sports Communicators. He is the first Navy football player to be named Division I Team Member of the Year, an award first presented in 1987, and the 13th to earn first-team Academic All-America honors, which were first awarded in 1952.
 
Horvath carries a 3.72 grade-point average while majoring in operations research. He has earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in each of the past three semesters.
 
Senior slot back Eli Heidenreich (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was the recipient of the Joe Bellino Award, presented to the varsity football player whose inspiring on-field performance made a significant impact on the team and contributed to its overall success during the season.
 
Heidenreich was also named the winner of the Napoleon McCallum Award, awarded to the football player with the most all-purpose yards (rushing, receiving, returns) in his four-year career.
 
Heidenreich is just the second player in the FBS since 1956 to rush for at least 475 yards and record at least 925 receiving yards in the same season. The only other player to do so is Tavon Austin of West Virginia in 2012 (643 rushing, 1,289 receiving).
 
Heidenreich's 16 career receiving touchdowns are the most in school history. His six touchdown catches in each of the last two seasons tied the single-season school record.
 
His 1,994 career receiving yards are the most in school history, and his 941 receiving yards this year are also the most in school history.
 
Heidenreich's 51 catches this year are tied for the fifth most in a single season in school history, while his 109 career receptions are the second most in school history.
 
Heidenreich had a career-high eight catches for a school-record 243 yards and a school-record-tying three touchdown receptions in Navy's win over Air Force this year. He is the first Navy player to surpass 200 receiving yards in a game.
 
Heidenreich finished his career with 3,206 all-purpose yards (1,157 rushing, 1,994 receiving and 55 on punt returns).
 
Senior nose guard Landon Robinson (Fairlawn, Ohio) was named the winner of the Roger Staubach Award, presented to the varsity football player who demonstrated consistent, outstanding leadership and an "Expect to Win" attitude in contributing to the team's success during the season and embodied honor, courage and commitment on and off the field. This is the seventh consecutive year a defensive player has won the award.
 
Robinson recorded 64 tackles, a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 6.5 sacks and a team-high seven quarterback hurries for the Midshipmen in 2025.
 
Robinson was named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sports Illustrated, USA Today and Phil Steele. He also earned second-team All-America honors from Walter Camp, ESPN and The Sporting News.
 
He is the first Navy player to be named a first-team All-American in 40 years and the first defensive player to earn first-team All-America honors in 50 years.
 
In addition, Robinson was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the league's coaches and the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year.
 
Robinson played in the East-West Shrine Bowl all-star game along with teammate Eli Heidenreich. Navy had not had two players participate in the game since 1956.
 
Senior slot back Brandon Chatman (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) was named the winner of the Cooke Award, given to the player who has done the most to promote team spirit.
 
Chatman started 29 games in his career, including 12 in 2025. He was Navy's fourth-leading rusher, gaining 431 yards on 57 carries with three touchdowns, and finished as the second-leading receiver with 17 receptions for 159 yards.
 
Chatman had a standout performance against FAU, rushing for a career-high 141 yards on a career-best 10 carries. It was the most rushing yards in a game by a Navy slot back since Carlinos Acie rushed for 155 yards against East Carolina in 2021.
 
Chatman finished his career with 846 rushing yards and six touchdowns, along with 670 receiving yards on 54 receptions with four touchdowns.
 
Senior guard Ben Purvis (Goddard, Kan.) received the Outstanding Lineman Award, presented annually to a member of the graduating class who, as an interior lineman, has excelled as a student-athlete and contributed to team leadership and spirit.
 
Purvis started 32 games in his career, including the last 31 contests. He helped pave the way for the nation's top rushing offense in 2025, as the Midshipmen averaged 285.6 yards per game.
 
Navy's 41 rushing touchdowns tied with Utah for the second most in the FBS, while Navy finished second in rushing yards per carry (5.76). Navy also ranked second nationally in yards per completion (15.9). The offensive line allowed just 3.1 tackles for loss per game, the fewest in the country.
 
Purvis was a member of the Midshipmen's starting offensive line unit that was named to the 2025 Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll. He also earned first-team All-East honors and was named second-team all-conference.
 
Senior kicker Nathan Kirkwood (Greencastle, Pa.) was named the winner of the Jeffrey R. Korn Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award, presented annually to the senior who has demonstrated excellence in the classroom and on the field.
 
Kirkwood finished his career with 119 extra points, the second most in school history. His 53 extra points in 2025 are the fifth most in program history.
 
Kirkwood made 59 consecutive extra points, the second-longest streak in school history. He is one of eight kickers in school history to be perfect on PATs in a single season, making all 53 attempts.
 
Kirkwood carries a 3.53 grade point average while majoring in cyber operations. 
 
Senior safety Brady Wine (Excelsior, Minn.) was named the winner of the 1st Lt. Ron Winchester Unsung Hero Award, presented to an unheralded senior recognized as an overachiever and role model, as selected by a vote of his teammates. It is the fourth consecutive year a defensive player has won the award.
 
Wine was a four-year member of the football team and earned a varsity letter as a senior.
 
Sophomore running back Jai Hundley (Knoxville, Tenn.) was named the winner of the Loree "Rip" Collins and "Arch" Roos Class of 1949 Junior Varsity Player of the Year Award, as selected by a vote of his teammates.
 
A 2023 graduate of Oak Ridge High School in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, Hundley attended the Naval Academy Prep School during the 2023-24 academic year. He attended Knoxville West High School in Knoxville, Tennessee, as a freshman before transferring to Oak Ridge.
 
Hundley was a two-sport athlete who earned letters in football (four) and track and field (three). He was a four-time all-region football selection and was named the Region 3-5A co-running back of the year as a senior.