As Braxton Woodson eyes his one and only chance to shine as Navy's starting quarterback, the senior and offensive captain of the Midshipmen acknowledges he feels the weight of expectations.

The Mids are coming off the best two-season run in program history behind graduated quarterback Blake Horvath, the primary spark who pushed Navy to a combined 21-5 record in 2024 and 2025.

At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Woodson is a dynamic athlete with blazing speed and a big-time throwing arm. He also can fall back on the seasoning he has acquired over three years as a backup. He earned a varsity letter in each of his first three years, which is unusual for a quarterback at Navy.

Woodson has spent plenty of full games on the sideline and plenty of Saturdays experiencing live action in varying degrees. He has appeared in 23 games and started three contests — one in each season. During the past two years, it wasn't a shock to see Woodson inserted as a receiver or running back.

Woodson has endured his share of tough days and growing pains and has excelled in moments that helped turn games in Navy's favor. He has collected experiences that have turned him into the leader of the Mids' offense, which, in addition to Horvath, also lost outstanding playmakers Eli Heidenreich and Alex Tecza to graduation.

Woodson's one shot as The Man is right in front of him. The senior from Altamonte Springs, Florida, who admits to experiencing some anxious moments this year while contemplating the role he has craved, said he is ready to take on the challenge.

"I think it's good to acknowledge there is pressure [on me]. It's an honor to be in that position," Woodson said. "I feel like pressure is going to make me play better. When you earn the right to have people counting on you, you've got to own that. When you've [performed well] already, at the highest level, there is no reason to be nervous."

"The one experience for me that has been kind of a culminating moment was gaining the ability to be the calm in the storm," he added.

Drew Cronic, in his third year as Navy's offensive coordinator, said he has watched Woodson grow steadily, at times dramatically, while making plenty of mistakes doing what is arguably the most difficult job in team sports. Woodson has gotten better every year.

"We [coaches] were walking off the field during my first spring [football sessions] in '24 wondering which one [Horvath or Woodson] was better," Cronic recalled.

When Cronic arrived in Annapolis early in 2024, he said there had been more buzz internally about Woodson as a freshman than Horvath as a sophomore. Horvath's 2023 season had ended because of a broken thumb he suffered after making his first career start in the fifth game of the season against visiting North Texas.

One week later, then-senior Tai Lavatai started at quarterback at Charlotte and went down with an injury midway through the first quarter. In his second appearance as a true freshman, Woodson provided a glimpse of his potential by leading the Mids to a 14-0 victory.

His performance was mixed. Woodson rushed for 58 yards on 18 attempts. Two of those carries went for 22 yards each. The rest of his attempts averaged just under one yard per carry. Some of that wasn't his fault, and some of it was, Cronic said.

Through the air, Woodson completed only five of 14 passes, due in part to a very strong arm that lacked touch. But one of those completions was a huge, game-changing throw. Woodson connected with Heidenreich on a 69-yard completion that marked his first career touchdown pass. It also was Navy's longest completion of the season.

The next week, Woodson made his first career start against rival Air Force, which boasted one of the top defenses in program history. He was the third Navy freshman to make his first career start at quarterback against the Falcons, who controlled a 17-6 victory by bottling up Woodson and the rest of the Mids' offense.

That 5-7 season provided quite a four-game lesson for the Navy plebe quarterback. After Cronic joined head coach Brian Newberry's staff and began teaching the ins and outs of his hybrid wing-T offense, he watched every play from every game of the 2023 season. He was intrigued by Woodson's size, speed and cutting ability, his booming arm that needed to find lower gears and his football acumen.

"With Braxton, I saw a big, fast and very talented guy who physically would fit in with Ohio State's team," Cronic said. "He is a high-character, smart, great kid. He has the tools. The biggest thing over time has been his comfort level and his confidence level. When he feels comfortable and confident, he is a problem [for defenses].

"[Woodson] has always made big plays. By eliminating empty plays or poor decisions, that is where he's had the most growth. He's gotten really good at keeping the offense moving," Cronic continued. "He's made smarter runs and can put a long ball through a tight window. He's better at throwing with more touch. When I got here, I was like, 'Dude, you're going to kill someone.' It's about timing. Put the ball on a trajectory where your [receiver] can make a play with it."

Under Cronic's watch, Woodson's production and consistency have steadily improved, and he has made the most of many of his playing opportunities.

Late in the 2024 season, which Navy finished with a 10-3 record, its first Commander-In-Chief's Trophy since 2019 and a postseason victory over Oklahoma, Tulane overwhelmed the Mids, 35-0. Navy lost Horvath to a first-half injury, and the Green Wave defense also shut down Woodson.

But Woodson responded very well the following week as the starter at East Carolina, where he saw the final action of his sophomore season and made it count.

After getting shut out in the first half, the Mids, led by Woodson, exploded for 34 second-half points to secure their eighth victory. Woodson rushed for 125 yards and threw for 165 more — both career highs — while running for two touchdowns and passing for another against the Pirates.

"He was so lights-out in that ECU game that we [coaches] were nervous at the end of the season," said Ivin Jasper, Navy's longtime quarterbacks coach. "We wondered if other schools were going to come after him. Everybody today is trying to find that ready-made quarterback in somebody else's program. [Woodson's] growth has been phenomenal."

Last year, with Horvath nursing an injury, Woodson made his third career start — in South Bend, no less — against Notre Dame, which routed the Mids, 49-10. Woodson was a bright spot, rushing for 101 yards on 23 carries and scoring Navy's only touchdown.

A week later, in an important conference game against visiting South Florida, Woodson's legs were the difference in a 41-38 shootout victory. After Horvath left with a sprained knee in the second half, Woodson ran the ball nine times for 103 yards, including touchdown runs of 64 and 20 yards.

He later chipped in his first career reception, a 10-yard catch, in Navy's 17-16 victory over Army as the Mids clinched their second straight Commander-In-Chief's Trophy. Navy later capped an 11-2 season with a 35-13 rout of Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl.

"By the time Braxton got into that South Florida game, there was nothing left for him to be afraid of anymore. With the games he's played in, he's had a very interesting career," Horvath said.

"It's tough being a backup. It's a physically demanding position. You're not getting the reps a starter gets in practice," he added. "When you need to get in there, you're expected to play like a starter, even though you haven't prepared that way all week. He learned that as a young player, and that really helped us."

His teammates call him "Ferrari." But Woodson, the fastest player on the team, said he didn't feel that way during his final spring football practices.

The pressure of taking over as the starting quarterback was getting to him. He pressed at times. He wanted to approach perfection in his preparation. He did not care for his level of play.

"I was harder on myself than I should have been, even in some good moments that I had," Woodson said. "I was working through the wrinkles, and I think I was putting too much weight on myself, hearing too much external noise."

So, after he had been voted a co-captain by his teammates, he sat down for a meeting with Cronic.

"[Cronic] just looked me in the eye and said he believed in me. That meant everything," Woodson said.

"Braxton has played meaningful snaps at meaningful moments. And he's played really well at times," Newberry said. "We feel good about the quarterback position."

"It's tough being a No. 2. A lot of other guys with Braxton's talent would have left," said Hoke Smith III, Navy's senior guard. "His confidence and leadership skills have grown tremendously. He's got more of that swagger now. He knows he has the keys to the Ferrari."

"It's about continuing to better yourself, putting your head down and working," Woodson said. "I'm grateful for those past three seasons, learning so much and developing as a player. I feel it's going to pay real dividends this year."