Navy junior wide receiver Jayden Umbarger joined the Naval Academy looking to play Division I football and develop into the best version of himself, and in the process he has become the Mids’ top receiver.
The 6-foot, 196-pound Baltimore native leads Navy’s receiving corps with 16 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Despite not recording a reception in the Mids’ 35-32 loss to Notre Dame at M&T Bank Stadium Nov. 12, Umbarger has become a trusted weapon in Navy’s run-first offense.
Umbarger, who graduated from Archbishop Spalding High School in the spring of 2019, played quarterback for the Cavaliers and committed to Navy with the intention of becoming the Mids’ signal-caller. However, midway through spring ball in 2021, Umbarger made the move to wide receiver, where he flourished as a runner and eventually as a pass-catcher.
Now in his third season at Navy, Umbarger is pleased with his decision to join the Naval Academy. His time at Spalding had some influence on that life-changing decision. Former Spalding quarterbacks Evan Fochtman and Zach Abey had already gone on to play football at Navy, helping pave the way for Umbarger.
“Having them as people that [came] before me allowed me to get those looks from the service academy and other schools along with my play,” Umbarger said on Glenn Clark Radio Nov. 10. “I think it helped that I had a lot of good players around me as well, and good players came before me.”
Umbarger’s talent in high school and love for the game further boosted him toward an offer from Navy. Umbarger’s versatility made him an intriguing prospect for Navy, having been a productive receiver at Spalding prior to becoming the starting quarterback.
“After [Navy] reached out to me, I had a couple offers, most significant were Army and Navy,” Umbarger said. “My thing was — [and] I talked to my parents about it — what about life after football?”
Umbarger would go on to play football at Navy after deciding he wanted to challenge himself. Part of that challenge was physical, but most of it came in the pursuit of becoming the best person he could be.
“I’ll get out and I’ll be an officer in the military,” Umbarger said of planning his future after Navy. “You really couldn’t ask for anything more as far as character development and becoming a leader in this world. It has all these implications even after you’re out of the military.”
“I really wanted to challenge myself to be the best person I can,” Umbarger added. “I had been to the Naval Academy and talked to a lot of people, and just doing that I heard so much about this place and being in the military and Navy football. It’ll challenge you and it’ll make you grow as a person.”
Umbarger is living out both dreams of playing Division I football and becoming his best self. Even though Navy’s season has played out in a less-than-ideal fashion, Umbarger says the fight for success is ongoing and it all starts with preparation.
“Our pregame preparation and just preparing … your mind to be in that environment is the most important thing,” Umbarger said, “because you could be ready physically all you want, and then [if] your mind’s not there, it just won’t happen.”
For more from Umbarger, listen to the full interiew here:
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