ANNAPOLIS, Md.— Navy senior guard Hoke Smith II has been chosen by head coach Brian Newberry and offensive line coach Jay Guillermo to wear No. 68 in honor of former Navy lineman David Forney.
 
Forney, who was a senior offensive lineman on the 2019 team, died Feb. 20, 2020, after being found unresponsive in Bancroft Hall. He was 22 years old. Forney was a three-year varsity letter winner for the Mids and played in 39 consecutive games over his final three seasons.
 
In 2019, Forney started all 13 games at guard and was the anchor of an offensive line that set a school record and led the nation in rushing, averaging 360.5 yards per game. Forney was extremely proud of being part of a senior class that authored the second-greatest turnaround in the history of FBS football as the Mids won a school-record-tying 11 games, won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, shared the American Conference West Division title and won the Liberty Bowl. Forney was named first-team All-American Conference and first-team All-East.
 
In 2020, Navy honored Forney by wearing a sticker on the back of its helmets that pictured him running out of the tunnel at the 2019 Army-Navy game carrying the American flag with the word "Brotherhood" underneath. Additionally, Navy did not issue No. 68 until the Army-Navy Game, when starting offensive lineman Billy Honaker wore it to honor his friend.
 
At the start of the 2021 season, it was determined that a senior offensive lineman would be assigned No. 68 each year to remember Forney. Pierce Banbury (C/OG) was the first to receive the honor, followed by Kip Frankland (OT) in 2022, Lirion Murtezi (C) in 2023, Connor McMahon (OT) in 2024 and Ben Purvis (OG) in 2025.
 
A native of Walkersville, Md., and a 2015 graduate of Georgetown Prep, Forney is survived by his parents, Rick and Erika Forney; younger brothers Chris and Erik; and sister Rebekah.
 
Forney, who was a member of the Ninth Company at the Naval Academy and a political science major, would have graduated May 22, 2020. He was due to serve as a cryptologic warfare officer.
 
Smith II has started 15 games in his career, including 12 starts in 2025, and enters this year listed as the starting guard. He has earned three varsity letters.