Navy junior quarterback Blake Horvath has embraced the Mids’ new style of play and credits first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic for revitalizing the team’s offense and creating a tight-knit bond on that side of the ball.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound quarterback played in four games and started one, throwing for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He suffered a thumb injury against North Texas in October and missed the rest of the season. Xavier Arline and Tai Lavatai moved on after last season, leaving Horvath as the starter entering 2024.
Navy announced Drew Cronic as the new offensive coordinator in January. Most recently, he led Mercer University to a 28-17 record across the past four seasons as head coach.
Cronic’s hybrid Wing-T offense has allowed Horvath to shine. The quarterback played in this type of offense in high school, giving him the ability to adjust on the fly and be as versatile as possible. So far in 2024, Horvath has completed 12 of 21 throws for 220 yards and three touchdowns. Staying true to Navy’s run-heavy identity, the quarterback has registered 22 carries for 155 yards and three touchdowns.
“Our new offensive coordinator, Coach Cronic, he’s done a great job at installing a new system exactly how he wants it. He’s a really innovative play-caller,” Horvath said on Glenn Clark Radio Sept. 18. “I think coming into the year we knew that we had a lot of good weapons on the outside … I think we really wanted to get them the ball more in space and in receiving positions. It’s just been really beneficial to us and helped out our run game even more to set up some passes off some runs. I think Coach Cronic has done a great job with all of that.”
The progress Cronic has made in a short amount of time has been beneficial to the 2-0 Mids, who take on Memphis on Sept. 21.
“When [Cronic] came in, he just did a great job at instilling his culture of being a close-knit group and all that,” Horvath said. “He got to know us very quickly and pulled us into position groups to get to know us — more about us on a personal level, what makes us tick. He’s big on faith, so he’s really instilled that within our team. It sort of brought us a lot closer together as an offensive unit more than anything. That’s a big piece for him, just being close.”
Horvath hasn’t taken the opportunity to play for Navy for granted. Even though the Mids are trained to treat this experience as “one football game at a time,” he understands the legacy left by those before him. As a leader on the team, there isn’t any pressure that can alter his play on the field.
“It just goes back to instilling that style of play that they ran back then, just being the toughest team on the field,” Horvath said. “Executing, not turning the ball over and being the most disciplined team.”
An Ohio native, Horvath starred at Hillard Darby High School, setting school records in career rushing touchdowns (49) and total touchdowns (57). As a senior in 2022, he rushed for 1,722 yards and 28 touchdowns.
Horvath was hesitant to commit to Navy as he didn’t have any immediate family serving in the military, but defensive coordinator P.J. Volker and the entire coaching staff opened him up to the possibilities of the program.
“It ultimately came down to the prestige of the Naval Academy. It’s a great place to get a great education and play some high-level football,” Horvath said. “I ran the triple option in high school, funny enough, so I thought it would be a great fit for me coming in at quarterback. … Just trying to do something different, challenge myself and just thought the Naval Academy was a great place to be.”
For more from Horvath, listen to the full interview here:
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