Navy's Preseason Schedule
•    Fourth-year head football coach Brian Newberry and the Navy football team will open the 2026 campaign when the Midshipmen report for fall camp on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Navy will hold its first practice on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
•    Media Day / Fan Fest is set for Saturday, Aug. 8 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Newberry, co-captains Braxton Woodson (Sr. / QB) and Giuseppe Sessi (Sr. / S), along with position captains Hoke Smith (Sr. / OL) and Coleman Cauley (Sr. / LB) will meet with the media beginning at 1:30 pm, followed by Fan Fest from 2:00-4:00 pm where the team will sign autographs on the concourse and interact with the fans down on the field as well.
•    The annual Blue & Gold BBQ will take place on Saturday, Aug. 15. Practice begins at 10:00 am with the BBQ to follow at approximately 11:30 am. It is also the final day of fall camp.
•    The first day of classes is on Monday, Aug. 17. 
•    Navy will resume its traditional practice schedule on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 4:00 pm. That will also be the first day the plebes will be available for interviews as plebe summer will be completed.
•    Navy's opener is slated for Saturday, Sept. 6 (3:30 pm) against Towson at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium and will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and the Navy Radio Network.

A Look Back at 2025 (class years reflect 2025)
•    Navy (11-2) finished the 2025 season ranked 23rd in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls. It is only the 4th time since 1963 Navy has ended the season ranked in the AP Poll and the first time since 2019. Navy was among 3 teams in the American Conference that finished the year ranked in the top 25 (Tulane and North Texas), which is one more team than the ACC had.
•    Navy finished the season strong with a 35-13 win over Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl. It was Navy's 4th-consecutive bowl win, all against Autonomy 4 teams (Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Cincinnati). Navy's last 5 bowl wins have come against Automony 4 teams (Pitt, Virginia, Kansas State, Oklahoma and Cincinnati). Navy is 7-1 in its last 8 bowl games.
• The Liberty Bowl was Navy's 26th bowl appearance (14-11-1 all-time) and marked the 3rd time the Mids have appeared in the Liberty Bowl (2-1). 
•    Navy recorded back-to-back 10-win seasons for the 1st time in school history. The 11 wins in 2025 tied the school record for most wins in a season (Navy also won 11 games in 2015 and '19).
•    Navy's 21 wins over the last 2 years are the most wins in school history over a 2-year span. 
•    Navy's 21-5 record (.808) over the last 2 years is the 8th-best winning percentage in the FBS and the best among the Non-Autonomy 4. 
•    Navy defeated Army 17-16 on Dec. 13 to win the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy, which is presented annually to the winner of the football competition among the three major service academies (Navy, Air Force and Army) and is named in honor of the President of the United States. 
•    Navy has won the CIC Trophy 13 times in the last 23 years, including each of the last 2 years. Navy won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy in back-to-back years for the first time since 2012-13. The Mids are a combined 32-15 (.681) against Army and Air Force over the last 47 games. 
•    Navy was named the winner of the Lambert Trophy, which is awarded to the best team in the East. It is the 1st time since 2015 and just the 2nd time since 1963 the Mids have won the Lambert Trophy.
•    Navy finished in a 3-way tie for the American Conference regular-season title with North Texas and Tulane, but did not play in the championship game due to Tulane being ranked in the CFP and North Texas beating Navy head-to-head. 
•    The Navy Football Strength of Record (ESPN metric) was 17th in the country. That was the best in the American Conference and ahead of such Autonomy 4 teams as Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, USC, LSU, Tennessee, Arizona, Georgia Tech, Washington, Arizona State, Houston, Virginia, Louisville, TCU, Iowa State, Pitt, SMU and NC State.
•    Navy defeated #24 USF on Senior Day in Annapolis 41-38. It was Navy's 3rd win over a ranked opponent in the last 2 years. Navy defeated #19 / #22 Army (31-13) and RV / #22 Memphis (56-44) in 2024. 
•    It is the first time Navy has beaten 3 ranked opponents over a 2-year span since 1957-58 when the Mids beat #5 / #5 Notre Dame (20-6) and #10 / #9 Army (14-0) in 1957 and #8 / #7 Rice (20-7) and #14 / #12 Michigan (20-14) in 1958.
•    Navy's 2 losses in 2025 came against teams with a combined record of 22-4 (North Texas was 12-2, Notre Dame was 10-2). Blake Horvath (Sr. / QB) did not play in the Notre Dame game due to an injury. 
•    Navy held Memphis to 17 points on Thanksgiving night in a 28-17 road win. It was the 1st time Memphis had been held to fewer than 20 points in 52 games. 
•    Navy finished 6-0 at home in 2025. It is just the 6th time in school history Navy has gone undefeated at home in years it has played 5 or more home games. The Mids also went undefeated at home in 2019 (6-0), 2015 (7-0), 2013 (5-0), 2004 (6-0) and 1981 (5-0). Navy is now 13-3 (.813) at home under Brian Newberry.
•    Navy's Class of 2026 put together a 30-20 (.600) record, including a 21-11 (.656) mark in the American. The 21 conference wins are the most of any other Navy class (Joined the American in 2015).
•    The 30 wins are the most by a Navy senior class since the Class of 2020 posted a 30-23 (.566) mark, including a 20-12 (.625) record in the American. 
•    Navy has won 78-consecutive games at home when leading after 3 quarters, the nation's longest streak. The last time Navy lost at home when leading after 3 quarters was Oct. 23, 1999, when the Mids led Akron 29-13 and lost 35-29.
•    Navy started 2025 playing 4 of its first-5 games at home. The Mids finished the season with 5 of their final-6 games played away from Annapolis (including the bowl game). 
•    Navy owns a 759-605-57 (.554) record over 145 seasons. The 759 wins are the 22nd most in the FBS and the most of any team not in the Autonomy 4. 
•    Brian Newberry started his head coaching career at Navy with a 20-10 record, which is the best 30-game start by a Navy head coach since Wayne Hardin went 20-9-1 from 1959-61. Ken Niumatalolo, the winningest head coach in school history, started his first-30 games at Navy with a 19-11 record. Newberry is currently 26-12 (.684) as a head coach.
•    The Mids led the FBS in rushing, averaging 285.6 yards per game. 
•    Navy's 41 rushing touchdowns tied with Utah for the 2nd most in the FBS behind North Texas (49). 
•    Navy finished 2nd in the FBS in rushing yards per carry, averaging 5.76 yards per carry. Utah finished 1st at 6.02
•    Navy finished 2nd in the country in passing yards per completion, averaging 15.9 yards per catch. 
•    Navy finished 3rd in the nation with 10 offensive plays go for 60 yards or more. 
•    Navy gave up 3.1 tackles for loss per game, which was the fewest in the country. 
•    The Navy defense held its final 3 opponents under 300 yards of total offense (Memphis-288 yards, Army-202 yards, Cincinnati-239 yards). It is the first time Navy has held 3-straight opponents under 300 yards since 2020. 
•    The Mids tied for 3rd in the country in fewest sacks allowed (9). Navy's offensive line was on the Midseason Watch List for the Joe Moore Award, which is given to the nation's best offensive line. 
•    Navy's 24 first-time starters in 2025 were tied for the 2nd most in the country.
•    Navy was 21-4 over the last 3 years when Horvath started at quarterback.
•    Horvath was informed on Nov. 21 by the Heisman Trophy Trust that he was a potential Heisman Trophy finalist.
•    Horvath was also named a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award and the Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Year.
•    Horvath was named the ECAC Offensive Player of the Year.
•    Horvath was named a first-team Academic All-American and the Div. I Football Team Member of the Year by the College Sports Communicators. He is the 13th Navy football player to be named a first-team Academic All-American and the 1st Navy player to be named the overall football scholar-athlete of the year, an award that has been handed out since 1987.
•    Horvath was named the winner of the Maxwell Club's inaugural Military Service Academy Leadership Award, established to honor a player from one of the United States Military Service Academies who exemplifies exceptional leadership both on the football field and within their academy community.
•    Horvath was also a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, also known as the Academic Heisman. Horvath graduated with a 3.73 grade-point average majoring in operations research. He is the 11th Navy player to be named a finalist and the 1st since Cameron Kinley in 2020. 
•    Horvath is the 1st Navy quarterback to post 1,000 yards rushing AND passing in back-to-back seasons. He is the 1st player to do it in the FBS since both Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Quinton Flowers (USF) did it in 2016 and '17.
•    Horvath is the 1st quarterback in the FBS to rush AND pass for 1,200 yards in consecutive seasons since Lamar Jackson did it at Louisville in 2015 and '16. Since 1956, Horvath is among just 5 quarterbacks to go 1,200-1,200 in consecutive seasons (Horvath, Jackson, Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois, Pat White of West Virginia and Brad Smith of Missouri).
•    Horvath's 162.5 career pass efficiency rating is the highest of any quarterback in Service Academy history with 150 or more attempts. Dating back to 1956, he is among just 45 quarterbacks in the FBS to have a career passing efficiency of 162.0 or better with 275 or more passing attempts. Horvath tied for 41st on that list, just behind Jalen Hurts in 40th.
•    Horvath's average of 7.6 yards of total offense per play (5,646 yds on 747 plays) over his career is the 3rd-best mark in school history. Shun White holds the record at 8.9 (2005-08).
•    Horvath averaged 16.5 yards per completion in his career (183 comp / 3,017 yds), which is the 4th-best average in school history. The record is 18.8 set by Ricky Dobbs (2008-10).
•    Horvath's .588 career completion percentage is 2nd only to Roger Staubach (.631) on the Navy career list.
•    Horvath threw 10 interceptions in 311-career attempts for an interception percentage of .032 per attempt. That is the 3rd-best mark in school history. The Navy record is .017 set by Keenan Reynolds, who threw just 8 interceptions in 462-career attempts.
•    Horvath's 27-career passing touchdowns are the 3rd most in school history.
•    Horvath's 5,646 yards of career total offense ranks 5th all-time at Navy.
•    Horvath was responsible for 360 points in his career, the 4th most in school history. Keenan Reynods is 1st with 528.
•    Horvath's 469 yards of total offense (130 yds rush, 339 yds pass) in Navy's win against Air Force broke the school record. The previous record was 428 yards set by Will Worth in a loss at USF in 2016. Horvath is the 1st quarterback in the FBS to throw for 330 yards or more with 3 or more touchdowns and rush for 130 or more yards with 1 or more touchdowns in a game since LSU's Jayden Daniels against Florida in 2023. It's only been done 17 times in the last 30 years.
•    Horvath and Malcolm Perry (2016-19) are the only players in school history to have multiple runs of 90 yards or more in a career. 
•    Horvath's 16 rushing touchdowns in 2025 tied for the 3rd most for a quarterback in the FBS.
•    Horvath averaged 100.0 rushing yards per game in 2025, which ranked 1st among quarterbacks and 13th overall in the FBS. He rushed for over 100 yards in 6-straight games in 2025, which tied for the 5th-longest streak in school history.
•    Horvath averaged 16.3 yards per completion in 2025, the 4th-best average in school history. It would have led the FBS if he had enough attempts to qualify.
•    Horvath's 2,780 yards of total offense in 2025 are the 2nd most in school history. 
•    Horvath's .606 completion percentage in 2025 is the 4th-best mark in school history. 
•    Horvath's 1,580 passing yards in 2025 are the 4th most in school history. 
•    Horvath averaged 9.9 yards per pass attempt in 2025, which tied for the 5th-best mark in school history.
•    Horvath's 12 touchdown passes in 2025 tied for the 3rd most in school history. He threw 13 in 2024, which is tied for the most in school history.
•    Dating back to 1956, Horvath is among just 25 players in the FBS to rush for 1,200 or more yards and throw for 1,500 or more yards in a single season and the first to do it at Navy.
•    Eli Heidenreich (Sr. / Snipe) was invited to the East-West Shrine Game. He is the 35th Navy football player to be selected and the 1st since linebacker Diego Fagot in 2021, who earned defensive MVP honors. Heidenreich is Navy's 1st offensive player to be selected since Malcolm Perry in 2019 and the 1st non-quarterback since wide receiver Brandon Turner in 2012. Heidenreich was joined by Landon Robinson (Sr. / NG), giving Navy 2 players in the East-West Shrine Game for the 1st time since 1957. They were among the 4 game captains selected to represent the East.
•    Heidenreich earned an invite to the NFL Combine. 
•    Heidenreich is just the 2nd player in the FBS since 1956 to rush for 475 yards or more and have 925 yards receiving or more in the same season. The only other player to do that is Tavon Austin of West Virginia in 2012 (643 rush, 1,289 rec).
•    Heidenreich's 16-career receiving touchdowns are the most in school history. 
•    Heidenreich's 6 touchdown catches in each of the last 2 seasons tied the single-season school record. 
•    Heidenreich's 1,994-career receiving yards are the most in school history. 
•    Heidenreich's 941 receiving yards this year are the most in school history.
•    Heidenreich 51 catches in 2025 are tied for the 5th-most catches in a single-season in school history.
•    Heidenreich's 109 career catches are the 2nd most in school history. 
•    Heidenreich had a career-high 8 catches for a school-record 243 yards and a school-record tying 3 touchdown catches in Navy's win over Air Force. He is the 1st Navy player in school history to surpass 200 yards receiving in a game. The previous record was 194 yards by Cory Schemm in the 1996 Aloha Bowl against Cal.  
•    Either Heidenreich or Alex Tecza (Sr. / RB), Navy's dynamic duo from Pittsburgh who grew up as childhood friends, scored a touchdown for Navy in 28 of their 36-career games (they scored in the same game 9 times, including the season finale against Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl). Heidenreich recorded 23-career touchdowns (7 rush, 16 rec), while Tecza had 26 (23 rush, 3 rec). Remarkably, they each scored the same number of touchdowns as high school teammates (29).  Both made their 1st-career start at Memphis in 2023. 
•    Heidenreich was graded as the 2nd-best running back in the FBS with a grade of 92.9 by Pro Football Focus (listed as a fullback, instead of a running back) and his receiving grade of 94.5 is the best of any running back or wide receiver. Tecza was ranked as the 9th-best receiver in the backfield by PFF with a grade of 80.4. 
•    Robinson was among the 7 semifinalists for the Outland Trophy. He was 1 of only 2 defensive linemen to be named.
•    Robinson was named a first-team All-American by USA Today, Sports Illustrated, the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America and by Phil Steele. He was named a second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation, ESPN and the Sporting News.
•    Robinson, who was also named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the ECAC Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 64 tackles, a team-high 8.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 6.5 sacks and a team-high 7 hurries in 2025.
•    Pro Football Focus ranked Robinson the 8th-best pass-rushing interior defensive lineman with a grade of 84.7.
•    Malcolm Johnson (Fr. / OT) became the first freshman to start on the offensive line at Navy against FAU since Duncan Cave started at center against SMU in 1997. Johnson was named the ECAC Rookie of the Year.
•    Braxton Woodson's (Jr. / QB) 180 yards rushing on 7 carries against VMI are the most yards rushing on 7 carries or less in an FBS game since LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire ran for 188 yards on 6 carries against Arkansas on Nov. 23, 2019, in a 56-20 LSU win. Woodson came off the bench in the 3rd quarter against USF and led Navy on 2 scoring drives to seal the upset win. Woodson finished with 103 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries. He had touchdown runs of 20 and 64 yards.
•    Jackson Gutierrez (So. / QB-RB) was listed on the depth chart at 2 different positions throughout 2025. He was the only player in the FBS to be listed on the 3-deep depth chart at quarterback and another position. 
•    Ira Oniha (Jr. / CB) broke up 3 passes in Navy's win over Tulsa, which tied for the 2nd most at Navy in the last 20 years. He also had 3 PBUs against Temple. 
•    Nathan Kirkwood (Sr. / PK) made 119 career extra-points which are the 2nd most in school history. Bennett Moehring (2016-18) holds the record with 141.
•    Kirkwood's 53 extra-points in 2025 are the 5th most in Navy history in a single-season.
•    Kirkwood's 59-consecutive extra-points made dating back to 2024 is the 2nd-longest streak in school history. 
•    Kirkwood is just the 8th kicker in school history to be perfect on PATs for the year (min. 25 attempts).
•    Jacob Carlson (So. / P) was impressive for Navy in his 1st year on the job. He averaged 44.5 yards per punt, which is the 4th-best punting average in school history and just off the record of 45.7 set by Riley Riethman set in 2024.

Preseason Prognosticators
The Sporting News College Football Preview Magazine
2026 Preseason Pick
1. Navy
2. Memphis
3. UTSA
4. Tulane
5. East Carolina

Athlon Sports College Football Preseason Magazine
2026 Preseason Pick
1. Navy
2. Memphis
3. UTSA
4. Army
5. East Carolina

Preseason All-American Conf.
•    Cam Nichols
•    MarcAnthony Parker

Notes
• The magazine also picked Navy to defeat Memphis in the American Conference Championship Game.
• The magazine predicted Navy would play Arizona State in the Armed Forces Bowl and projected Boise State to earn the Group of Six's automatic berth into the College Football Playoff.
• In its American Conference unit rankings, the Mids were ranked (out of 14 teams) 4th at quarterback, 12th at running back, 13th at wide receiver, 2nd at offensive line, 7th at defensive line, 2nd at linebacker and 6th at defensive back.
• Of the 12 games to watch in the American Conference, Navy had four selected: the Oct. 17 game at UTSA, the Oct. 31 game against Notre Dame in Foxborough, the Nov. 21 home game against Memphis and the Dec. 12 Army-Navy Game presented by USAA at MetLife Stadium.
• Navy was ranked No. 60 out of 138 teams in Athlon Sports' preseason rankings.

Lindy's College Football Magazine
2026 Preseason Pick
1. Navy
2. Tulane
3. USF
4. Army
5. Memphis

Preseason First-Team 
All-American Conference
•    Malcolm Johnson

Preseason Second-Team 
All-American Conference
•    MarcAnthony Parker
•    Braxton Woodson

Notes
• Navy was ranked No. 46 among the nation's 138 FBS teams, the second-highest ranking among Group of Six programs. Boise State, which will compete in the Pac-12 this season, was ranked No. 29 and was Lindy's pick to make the College Football Playoff.
• The Memphis-at-Navy game and the Army-Navy Game presented by USAA were included on Lindy's list of the 10 biggest games in the American Conference.
• Woodson was also selected as the conference's best scrambler.

Phil Steele's College Football Preview
2026 Preseason Pick
1. Navy
2. UTSA
3. Tulane
4. East Carolina
5. Army

Preseason First-Team 
All-American Conference
•    Rayne Fry

Preseason Second-Team 
All-American Conference
•    Malcolm Johnson
•    Cam Nichols
•    Ira Oniha
•    MarcAnthony Parker

Preseason Third-Team 
All-American Conference
•    Jacob Carlson
•    Phillip Hamilton
•    Vic Listorti
•    Griffen Willis
•    Braxton Woodson

Preseason Fourth-Team 
All-American Conference
•    Isaiah Bryant
•    Coleman Cauley
•    Giuseppe Sessi

Notes
• Navy's offensive line is ranked as the nation's 12th-best unit. 
• Navy's position rankings within the American Conference (14 teams) include quarterback (3rd), running back (11th), wide receiver (14th), offensive line (2nd), defensive line (9th), linebacker (4th), defensive back (6th), special teams (7th) and coaching staff (2nd).
• Steele ranked the American as the 5th-best conference in the Football Bowl Subdivision and the top among the Group of 6 leagues.

Sessi, Woodson Named Team Captains
•    Seniors Giuseppe Sessi (S) and Braxton Woodson (QB) have been voted team captains for the 2026 season by their teammates. It is the greatest honor a Navy student-athlete can receive.  
•     Sessi started all 13 games last fall at safety and recorded 81 tackles, second only to linebacker MarcAnthony Parker. He also recovered a fumble, had a pass breakup and recorded a half-tackle for loss.
•     He was part of a Navy defense that held each of its final three opponents under 300 yards of total offense (288 by Memphis, 202 by Army and 239 by Cincinnati).
•     He posted a career-high 11 tackles in Navy's win over Temple, added 10 tackles against North Texas and had eight against both USF and Memphis.
•     Sessi has recorded 96 tackles in his career.
•     Woodson played in 10 games last fall, including his third career start against Notre Dame. He finished the year with 414 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 44 carries, while completing 9 of 19 passes for 110 yards. He also caught a 10-yard pass from Blake Horvath against Army.
•     The highlight of Woodson's 2025 season came when he came off the bench in relief of an injured Horvath against USF and carried the ball nine times for 103 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown runs covered 64 and 20 yards as Navy upset the Bulls.
•     Woodson carried the ball 23 times for 101 yards and a touchdown against Notre Dame and rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns on just seven carries against VMI. He became the first FBS player to rush for 180 or more yards on seven or fewer carries since LSU's Clyde Edwards-Helaire accomplished the feat against Arkansas in 2019.
•     Woodson has rushed for 760 yards and 10 touchdowns on 146 carries in his career, while throwing for 516 yards and three touchdowns.

2026 Position Captains Announced
•    Navy head football coach Brian Newberry has announced the position captains for the 2026 season.  
•    The position captains will serve as part of the leadership council. Two position captains will join team captains Giuseppe Sessi and Braxton Woodson as game captains each week.

Defensive Line: Griffen Willis / Sr.
Linebackers: Coleman Cauley / Sr.
Outside Linebackers: JaSean McLean / Sr.
Cornerbacks: Ira Oniha / Sr.
Safeties: Phillip Hamilton / Jr.
Specialists: Lance Gossett / Sr.
Wide Receivers: Luke Hutchison / Sr.
Offensive Line: Hoke Smith / Sr.
Running Backs: Vic Listorti / Sr.
Snipes: Isaiah Bryant / Sr.
Quarterbacks: Jackson Gutierrez / Jr.
Tight Ends: Jake Norris / Sr.
Off. Sophomore Rep: Malcolm Johnson / OT
Def. Sophomore Rep:  Christian Johnson / OLB

Hoke Smith II to Wear #68 in Memory of David Forney
•    Hoke Smith II (Sr. / OG) has the honor of wearing jersey No. 68 this season in memory of former Navy offensive lineman David Forney.
•    Forney, who was a senior offensive lineman on the 2019 team, died on Feb. 20, 2020, after being found unresponsive in Bancroft Hall. He was 22 years old. Forney was a 3-year varsity letter winner for the Mids and played in 39-consecutive games over his final 3 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 jersey 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 be tabbed with 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 on May 22, 2020. He was due to serve as a cryptologic warfare officer.

The Pete Medhurst Navy Radio Network Broadcast Booth
•    Navy Athletics will name its home radio booth the Pete Medhurst Navy Radio Network Broadcast Booth in honor of longtime broadcaster Pete Medhurst.
•    Medhurst passed away in January of 2025, following a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was 55 years old. 
•    Medhurst was in his 12th year as the Voice of Navy Football and had been with the Navy Radio Network since 1997. He handled pregame, postgame, sideline and play-by-play duties for football and play-by-play for men's and women's basketball, men's and women's lacrosse, baseball, volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming & diving, wrestling and Brigade Boxing.
•     Medhurst, born and raised in Anne Arundel County and a graduate of Southern High School, had been the play-by-play announcer for Navy basketball for 14 seasons and the voice of Navy lacrosse for 24 years.  
•     Medhurst also handled football play-by-play duties for HDNet and CBS Sports Network and lacrosse for ESPNU and the Big Ten Network. He also filled in on radio broadcasts for the Washington Nationals and was the proud owner of a 2019 Washington Nationals World Series ring.
•     Medhurst called 240-consecutive Navy football games from either the sideline or the booth before missing the game at Rice on Nov. 2, 2024, after being diagnosed with cancer.
•     Medhurst began his broadcasting career at WNAV 1430 AM in Annapolis. He then transitioned to a radio station in Pocomoke City and covered games at Salisbury University and high schools on the Eastern Shore.
•     In addition to his duties at Navy, Medhurst worked pre and postgame shows for the Washington Nationals on WJFK-FM 106.7 in Washington, D.C., filling in as the play-by-play announcer for the Nationals.
•     For the two years prior to his death, Medhurst also worked as a studio host for the Ravens Radio Network, providing his voice for pre and postgame shows on WBAL 1090 AM and WIYY 98 Rock in Baltimore.
•     Additionally, he called horse races at Rosecroft Raceway in Fort Washington.
•     Medhurst is survived by his wife, Brenda, his sons, Ryan and Cody Joyce, and daughter, Kelly.

100th Anniversary of the 1926 National Championship Team
•    Navy Athletics will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its first national championship during the 2026 season. The Midshipmen will wear a commemorative uniform for the Notre Dame game to honor the 1926 squad that finished 9-0-1 and captured a share of the national title.
•    Nearly a century ago, college football faced a situation that would still generate national debate today: three undefeated teams competing for the national championship. 
•    Navy, Stanford and Alabama each finished the 1926 season with unbeaten records. Stanford's 7-7 tie against Alabama in the Rose Bowl gave the Cardinal a 10-0-1 record, while Navy and Alabama finished 9-0-1. Two recognized selectors - Boand and Houlgate - awarded the national championship to Navy. 
•    The Midshipmen opened the 1926 season with a new head coach, Bill Ingram. A former Navy standout (1916-18), Ingram inherited a program searching for a turnaround after the Mids won just 7 games combined during the previous 2 seasons. 
•    The foundation of Navy's success was a dominant rushing attack led by All-America tackle and team captain Frank Wickhorst, whose blocking helped pave the way for quarterback Tom Hamilton. 
•     Navy's signature victory of the 1926 season came against Michigan before 80,000 fans at Baltimore's Municipal Stadium. The Mids scored 10 second-half points to upset the Wolverines, 10-0. Navy's offense tallied 165 yards behind the powering attack of Hamilton and Henry Caldwell who scored Navy's lone touchdown on a one-yard plunge. Jubilation from the victory continued after the game, as the Midshipmen tore down the goal post at each end of the field and carried away all the markers that lined both sides of the field. The joy replaced the disappointment of the previous year when Michigan handed Navy its worst loss in school history at the time, 54-0. 
•     Navy headed into its season finale against Army with a 9-0 record. The game was to be played in Chicago at Soldier Field, which had been built as a memorial to the men killed in World War I. It was only natural Army and Navy would be invited to play the inaugural contest there. The New York Times' James R. Harrison called the matchup "the greatest of its time" and "a national spectacle." 
•    More than 110,000 fans packed Soldier Field as the Midshipmen opened up a 14-0 lead on the Cadets, only to see Army fight back to take a 21-14 lead early in the third quarter. The Navy offense responded behind its strong ground game led by running back Alan Shapley. On fourth down and 3 yards to go, Shapley ran 8 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 21. As the final quarter concluded, Army mounted a brief threat only to miss a 25-yard field goal. 
•     The 21-21 tie preserved Navy's unbeaten season, and selectors Boand and Houlgate named the Midshipmen national champions, giving Navy its first national championship in program history.

Robinson and Heidenreich Become First Navy Duo to be Selected in NFL Draft Since 1956
•     Nose guard Landon Robinson and running back / wide receiver Eli Heidenreich became the 1st Navy duo to be drafted in the same NFL draft since 1956 (George Welsh and Ronald Beagle by the Chicago Cardinals) and just the 2nd tandem in program history when they were selected 4 picks apart in the annual NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
•     Both picks came in storybook fashion.
•     Robinson, a native of Akron, Ohio, was selected by his home-state Cincinnati Bengals in the 7th round with the 226th overall pick. The selection was announced by the Pat Tillman Foundation. Tillman was drafted with the 226th pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 1998. Tillman later left the NFL to enlist in the U.S. Army after the 9/11 attacks. He served as an Army Ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan before dying in Afghanistan in 2004.
•     Heidenreich, a native of Pittsburgh, was taken with the 230th overall pick by his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Heidenreich was backstage at the draft and was brought out to roaring applause that lasted 7 minutes. He was then brought to the ESPN desk, where he was interviewed for another 5 minutes.
•     Robinson and Heidenreich are the 20th and 21st Naval Academy graduates to be drafted by the NFL. They are the 5th and 6th Navy players drafted in the last 12 years.
•     Heidenreich and Robinson will be able to play immediately, as Section 557 of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2025 amended the statutes defining the agreements signed by midshipmen and cadets attending a military service academy and their resulting service obligations. The NDAA for fiscal year 2026 authorizes the secretaries of the military departments to transfer no more than 5 cadets or midshipmen from each academy who obtain employment in professional sports to the Selected Reserve as commissioned officers to assist in recruiting and retention efforts.
•    The duo joins Rayuan Lane III and Joe Cardona in the NFL, giving the Mids 4 players playing professional football.  
•    Lane III was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL draft in Green Bay, Wis. and had a standout rookie campaign.
•    Cardona is in his 12th season as a long snapper and his 1st with the Los Angeles Rams. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 5th round of the 2015 draft. He won 2 Super Bowls with the Patriots and was named to the Patriots All-Dynasty team.