Navy head football coach Brian Newberry thinks last year’s squad — one that went 5-7 — consistently played below the Navy standard in one particular way.
“We weren’t a real disciplined football team,” Newberry said on Glenn Clark Radio Aug. 1. “It was way too many self-inflicted wounds, pre-snap penalties, things of that nature that you just can’t do here at the Naval Academy.”
Going into his second year at the program’s helm, Newberry said he placed a renewed emphasis on eliminating unforced errors this offseason. He’s trying to get the Mids back to a place they’ve consistently been during the program’s 145-year history: one of the most disciplined teams in college football.
Last season, Navy committed 68 penalties, seventh most in the AAC. Those infractions cost the Mids 552 yards, eighth most in the league.
“We were middle of the conference last year [in penalties], which is not acceptable for us,” Newberry said. “A lot of things to clean up, a lot of things that you learn and things you can certainly do better.”
Newberry was Navy’s defensive coordinator from 2019-2022, running a system centered around pre- and post-snap disguise. That scheme became well-known throughout college football during the Mids’ 11-2 run during Newberry’s first year in Annapolis. That has translated to a top-four AAC defense each of the last two seasons.
Newberry took over the top role following the 2022 season after longtime head coach Ken Niumatalolo was let go. He credits Niumatalolo’s guidance for making the transition between the coaches seamless.
“I learned a lot in my previous four years, working with Coach Niumat, so that part of the transition wasn’t bad,” Newberry said. “Your first time as a head coach, so many things that pop up that you never thought about, on a daily basis.”
“Some of the big takeaways from the year is just how important the chemistry of your staff is, [and] the chemistry of your football team, the psyche of your football team,” he added. “Winning is hard. The margin for error is very, very small, especially here at the Academy.”
The biggest change heading into Newberry’s second year is a switch-up at offensive coordinator. The Mids brought in former Mercer head coach Drew Cronic to lead the group.
Cronic describes his scheme as a hybrid Wing-T offense. Newberry joked his team “obviously” isn’t going to run a spread offense, but the Mids will incorporate more modern elements, especially in the passing game.
“It’s going to look a little different, but to be able to run the football, possess the ball, chew the clock up, keep our defense off the field as much as possible,” Newberry said. “That’s the formula for success around here.”
“You can call it the Sling-T, or the millennial Wing-T, whatever you want,” the coach added. “Some triple [option] mixed in there as well, with a simple but complex passing game off of those things. It’s a proven system that he’s had a ton of success with.”
The puzzle is much simpler on defense. Newberry’s scheme is well-established, and the coaching staff is confident in the unit’s leadership across the board. Seven of last year’s defensive starters are returning, and that’s not including new starting nose guard Landon Robinson, who won the program’s Admiral Mack Award for the most improved player in spring camp.
Newberry expects Robinson to “come into his own” this year. He’s also bullish on the unit’s depth at cornerback, something he said his defense hasn’t had since arriving six seasons ago.
“There’s a standard on that side of the ball, and an expectation of how you play in regards to your effort and your physicality,” Newberry said. “We’ve got good continuity on that side of the ball … but it’s also because of the staff and the job that [defensive coordinator P.J. Volker] has done, taking over as the coordinator, adding a few of his own wrinkles. I think I was more excited to promote P.J. to coordinator than I was to step into the head coaching role, because he’s outstanding.”
For more from Newberry, listen to the full interview here:
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox