Four years at the United States Naval Academy will test the armor of a football player. Exams, military responsibilities and Division I football can wear any man down.
Right guard Hoke Smith II has learned to lock it all down. He has become a player teammates can lean on if they need a good laugh or the expertise that can be offered by one of the team’s senior leaders.
“Hoke is Naval Academy all the way into his bones,” Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic said.
The 6-foot-3, 317-pound lineman from Birmingham, Ala., is one of Navy’s most experienced offensive linemen. Smith enters the Mids’ Oct. 17 at UTSA with 20 career starts under his belt at either guard or center. He is also majoring in political science.
Smith has developed into a leader during one of the most successful stretches in Navy history. The Mids went 21-5 across the past two seasons, the first back-to-back 10-win campaigns in program history. During that stretch, Navy won consecutive Commander-in-Chief’s Trophies and bowl games against power conference opponents.
Smith is part of a group trying to build upon that success. To Cronic, Smith represents what the Naval Academy asks its players to become — dependable on the field and off the field, taking responsibilities far beyond football.
Smith’s connection to Annapolis started long before he arrived. His mother, Helen, graduated from the Academy in 1994, and growing up, Smith saw the impact Navy continued to have on her life.
Once Navy recruited him, Smith was ready to commit almost immediately. His mother had to make sure he understood exactly what he was getting himself into.
“She wanted to make sure it was my decision and that is what I wanted to really do,” Smith said.
Once he arrived, Smith quickly learned the Academy wasn’t easy. Between academics, military responsibilities and football, life can become overwhelming. Smith said those pressures can compound, which is why he made it his daily mission to draw a laugh or smile from the guys around him.
“I try and really take that seriously and make someone laugh, make someone smile [each] day at the Naval Academy because there’s some hard days here,” Smith said.
That personality has become Smith’s defining brand among the team. Cronic said teammates naturally gravitate toward him because of his infectious energy. Smith is easily approachable and is deeply connected to everyone in the program. Cronic also described Smith as having an I-get-to mentality, choosing gratitude over resentment.
“When you realize where you are, what you get to do and who you get to be around, I think it puts a smile on your face,” Cronic said.
Smith carries this same attitude onto the field. After growing into larger roles as a sophomore and junior, he has taken on more responsibility as a senior. His leadership, he said, comes less from speeches and more from the example he sets every day.
“I take a lot of pride in taking no days off and coming to work every single day and not taking a rep off,” Smith said.
That kind of consistency is vital in the Navy’s offensive style of play. Smith described Navy’s schemes as combining “three to four offenses in one.” Cronic calls it a hybrid Wing-T, combining Navy’s traditional under-center option with Wing-T concepts and modern spread and run-pass option looks.
Smith is officially listed at guard this season, but his versatility on the line allows his coaches to move him around when needed. The Midshipmen ask a lot of their offensive linemen — learning multiple formations, blocking schemes, varied positioning and other responsibilities.
“As we adapt to more gap schemes, more zone schemes, more six-man protection, and still be able to put our hand in the dirt and come off and run triple-option football, traditional things, that means that offensive linemen [have] to be pretty versatile,” Cronic said.
Smith said his ability to study film and understand what opposing defenses are trying to do has helped him develop and become comfortable within the system. Cronic sees that as one of Smith’s biggest strengths as a player.
“He’s a really smart football player,” Cronic said. “He understands what we’re doing. He asks the right questions. He can solve some problems out there.”
It’s not just the intelligence that makes Smith a great player — it’s his toughness, too. Smith has dealt with both major and nagging injuries throughout his career, but he has continuously worked through treatment and adversity, fighting discomfort to stay on the field. That willingness to push through difficult stretches has only added to the trust that coaches and players place in him.
Smith has also made a point in building relationships outside of football. Because football players aren’t always around for company activities, Smith wanted to find another way to connect with other midshipmen, creating “Flapjack Fridays.” Smith and several of his teammates bring out small griddles and make pancakes for members of their company.
Events like these may seem small, but it’s a major way to remain part of Academy life that football can sometimes drag players away from.
“It’s good to invest in those relationships and meet some cool people,” Smith said.
On game days, Smith has another way to remind himself of the kind of person he wants to be. He wears jersey No. 68 in honor of former Navy offensive lineman David Forney.
Forney was a starting guard for Navy who died at 22 in February 2020 after being found unresponsive in his dorm room. Forney started all 13 games for Navy in 2019, anchoring an offense that led the FBS in rushing yards at 360.5 per game.
Forney’s No. 68 has been worn by Navy linemen selected to carry on his legacy. Smith was given that honor for the 2026 season.
Smith described Forney as a “leader of men” and someone whose impact reached far beyond the boundaries of football.
“I’m so proud to do it,” Smith said about wearing the number. “That’s all I’m trying to do is honor him and his family and his legacy.”
Forney’s legacy, Smith said, was built on leadership and the way he affected those around him. Smith plans on following his footsteps.
“He touched people all around him in his time here,” Smith said. “That’s what I’m trying to do — the same.”
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Navy Athletics
Issue 301: October / November 2026
Originally published Oct. 14, 2026