Navy Football

Undrafted free agent cornerback Cameron Kinley has to put his NFL dreams on hold.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the U.S. Navy has denied Kinley's request "to delay his commission to play in the NFL." Per Schefter, "Kinley is being required to commission into the U.S. Navy as an Ensign."

Kinley signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had a shot to make the team as its fifth cornerback. The Navy's surprising denial of his request caught his agent off guard:

This goes against recent precedent with players in NFL camps. Kinley had been hopeful he would be granted a waiver to join the Bucs ... https://t.co/7lSuOdF1sk https://t.co/NHrpfPI8gQ

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 7, 2021

With Bucs rookie Cameron Kinley being denied by the U.S. Navy a waiver to join the Bucs, his agent Ryan Williams-Jenkins issued this statement and quote: pic.twitter.com/hLRQ7dS974

— Greg Auman (@gregauman) June 7, 2021

Kinley issued a statement of his own reacting to the denial of his request:

https://twitter.com/ck3thethrill/status/1401955628399136771

Kinley was his U.S. Naval Academy class president for the past two years and delivered a speech at his graduation May 28.

"Choose to be the light at all times," he said, per Greg Auman of The Athletic. "Make sure you lead by example, but more importantly, lead with humility. Your legacy will not be solely measured by your accomplishments, but rather by the impact that you left on the lives of others."

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians said last week he "got goosebumps" when he watched the graduation speech and called Kinley a "tremendous young man."

While Kinley wasn't guaranteed to make the team—he likely would have had to prove himself as a special teams contributor—his dream to play in the NFL has been put on hold.

When you coach at a service academy, you can't necessarily vent your frustration toward the powers that be within a traditional university structure.

Navy head football coach Ken Niumatalolo criticized the decision to carry on with the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy series despite the fact Air Force has only two games scheduled this season. Niumatalolo directed his ire toward "guys at the Pentagon," per ESPN:

"Where else in the country would you play for something of value and everybody's schedules are not the same? This is the No. 1 thing we fight for every year—the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. We're playing a full schedule. You got Air Force playing just two games? I don't think those people care. [...]

"This is above us. This is guys at the Pentagon making decisions. I have no idea where they're getting their data from. They didn't get it from me, so they're not getting any football data. Like I said, nobody asked me."

Niumatalolo has since apologized for his remarks, per the Capital Gazette's Bill Wagner: "I should not have said some of the stuff I said and I'm sorry I did. The Pentagon has nothing to do with this and it was wrong of me to suggest that was the case. ... I sometimes get myself in trouble by speaking my mind. This was an instance when I should have kept my thoughts to myself."

Army is an independent in football, while Navy and its American Athletic Conference colleagues are carrying on with a 2020 fall football season. As a result, the Black Knights and Midshipmen will be playing 12 and 11 games, respectively.

Air Force, on the other hand, saw the vast majority of its schedule scrapped when the Mountain West Conference postponed its fall season.

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk told Wagner the superintendents from the Air Force, Army and Navy agreed to move forward with staging the three games for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy.

"The question mark has always been Air Force and whether or not they would field a team," Gladchuk said. "There was some question within their leadership as to whether or not it was appropriate to conduct out-of-season practice to that degree to play two games."

Air Force plays Navy on Oct. 3 at home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, before facing off with Army on Nov. 7 in West Point, New York.

The Falcons' unique schedule could work to their benefit or detriment. On one hand, head coach Troy Calhoun has extra time to draw up a game plan. On the other hand, his team could face a difficult adjustment to actual game situations.

Should Air Force go on to lift the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 2016, this might not be the last Niumatalolo has to say on the matter.

Navy announced Friday its Sept. 12 football game against Lafayette has been canceled. 

Lafayette College made the decision, determining it wouldn't have enough time to prepare for the game once football players are brought onto campus.

Navy is attempting to find a new opponent for that date.

It's the second time the Midshipmen have been forced to adjust their schedule amid the coronavirus pandemic. The squad was expected to face Notre Dame in Ireland on Aug. 29, but the game was moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and will now take place Sept. 5.

The NCAA allowed players to participate in team activities beginning in early June, but the Patriot League announced student-athletes cannot return to campus until the rest of the student body does, per Keith Groller of the Morning Call.

Classes aren't scheduled to begin at Lafayette until Aug. 17.

The Leopards were originally slated to start their season on Sept. 5 against Sacred Heart. The team's next game is currently a Sept. 19 home matchup against William & Mary.

Meanwhile, Navy now has an 11-game schedule, with eight games against fellow AAC squads, two against military academies (Army and Air Force) and the one against Notre Dame. The Lafayette battle was the only matchup scheduled against an FCS opponent.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has already created some changes to the college football season, NCAA president Mark Emmert said recently "we are likely to have football" in the fall, per Seth Davis of The Athletic.

David Forney, a senior offensive lineman at Navy, died Thursday at the age of 22.

Per an official statement from Navy, Forney was found unresponsive in the Bancroft Hall dormitory.

"Words cannot express our pain and sorrow," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said. "First and foremost, our deepest condolences to the Forney family. The Navy Football Brotherhood is not a team, we are a family. We are devastated to have lost one of our brothers. We all loved⁠—and will always love⁠—David. We pray for strength during this most difficult time."

No official cause of death has been determined at this point.

Forney was set to graduate from the United States Naval Academy in May. The Walkersville, Maryland, native played four seasons with the Midshipmen after graduating from Georgetown Preparatory School. He was one of three Navy players named to the American Athletic Conference first-team in 2019.    

Congratulations to Malcolm Perry, Diego Fagot (@diegofagot54), and David Forney (@_DavidForney) on making the AAC First Team All-Conference! #NavyFB | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/TNy40h6etc

— Navy Football (@NavyFB) December 4, 2019

After not appearing in a game as a freshman, Forney played his way into the lineup on special teams in 2017 and started the final two games at guard.

He appeared in all 39 of Navy's games over the past three seasons and became a full-time starter on the offensive line as a senior.

The No. 23 Navy Midshipmen matched a program record Tuesday by securing their 11th win of the season with a 20-17 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the 2019 Liberty Bowl at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee.

Kicker Bijan Nichols delivered the game-winning 23-yard field goal with two seconds left.

NAVY PULLS OUT THE TRICK PLAY TO SET UP THE GO AHEAD FG! 😱 pic.twitter.com/tl8M1VhgWp

— ESPN (@espn) December 31, 2019

Navy, which also won 11 games in 2015, bounced back from its first losing season since 2011 last year to put together one of the best campaigns in the program's storied history capped by beating rival Army and the bowl triumph. It's now won five of its last six bowl games dating back to 2013.

Kansas State delivered one of the biggest upsets of the 2019 season when it shocked the fifth-ranked Oklahoma Sooners, who went on to earn a College Football Playoff berth. The Wildcats' loss on New Year's Eve dropped their final record to 8-5.

             

Notable Game Stats

QB Malcolm Perry (Navy): 5-of-7 passing, 57 yards, 1 TD; 213 rushing yards

QB Skylar Thompson (KSU): 10-of-14 passing, 124 yards; rushing TD

WR Keoni-Kordell Makekau (Navy): 27 receiving yards, TD

WR Chance Warren (Navy): 20 rushing yards, TD

WR Phillip Brooks (KSU): 66-yard punt return TD

LB Diego Fagot (Navy): 7 tackles, 2 sacks

LB Elijah Sullivan (KSU): 11 tackles

               

Malcolm Perry's NFL Journey May Start in Taysom Hill Role

Hill is listed as a quarterback on the New Orleans Saints' roster, but he plays a wide-ranging role that includes playing just about every position on offense in addition to snaps on special teams. He's a playmaker who can create serious matchup issues for opposing defenses.

Perry (5'9'', 190 pounds) isn't going to match the physicality of Hill (6'2", 221 pounds), but his athleticism and ability to make plays in a variety of ways will make the Navy QB an intriguing option in the latter rounds of the 2020 NFL draft in April.

He's not ready to play quarterback on a full-time basis at the next level—he entered Tuesday's game with just 106 career pass attempts in college—but his arm is a threat. His 27-yard touchdown pass to Keoni-Kordell Makekau in the second quarter was perfectly placed between two defenders.

Whether he can develop into a legitimate candidate for an NFL starting job over time is uncertain. In the short term, his arm is another factor opponents would be forced to game-plan for each week.

Congratulations to senior QB Malcolm Perry for breaking the FBS Single-Season QB Rushing Record! He’s currently at 1,923 yards on the season and 119 yards right now against K-State! #NavyFB | #BuiltDifferent pic.twitter.com/sMiQv3NvA1

— Navy Football (@NavyFB) December 31, 2019

Perry is also a tremendous runner who averaged over seven yards per carry during his collegiate career and possesses the small-area quickness to shine in the role of slot receiver.

The bottom line is he's probably not ready to handle any exclusive role at the next level. The closest would be running back, but his lack of size would prevent him from being a three-down workhorse.

That said, he'll be a worthwhile flier in the draft who could slot into a roster much like Hill. A king of gadget plays who can make an immediate impact with his arm, legs or hands.

Even if it's only 10 or 12 snaps per game, his production has the potential to exceed the average mid- to late-round selection.

         

Chris Klieman Proving Capable of Building on Bill Snyder Foundation

Replacing a legend is a task coaches sometimes shy away from. Snyder definitely earned that legend label during his time at K-State, and his retirement following the 2018 season after 27 years across two stints with the school left a lot of questions about the future of the program.

Chris Klieman, who was hired last December after leading North Dakota State to four FCS national championships in five years, has proved over the past year he's capable of carrying on the legacy.

The upset over the Sooners was the first significant sign of the 52-year-old Iowa native's readiness for a Power Five job.

Kansas State's victory over previously undefeated OU was no fluke. It was the better team for a vast majority of that game and led by 25 early in the fourth quarter. The Sooners forged a comeback to make it a single-score loss, but the game wasn't as closely contested as the 48-41 final score would suggest.

The Wildcats went on to beat the 23rd-ranked Iowa State Cyclones in their regular-season finale.

Navy HC Ken Niumatalolo says one aspect of the coaching job Chris Klieman has done in year one really stands out to him. pic.twitter.com/RJjKpwHA6O

— John Kurtz (@jlkurtz) December 30, 2019

Tuesday was no different from the perspective of building confidence in the coaching staff. Creating a game plan to slow down a Navy offense that led the nation in rushing yards per game (363.7) isn't easy. KSU did it for the better part of three quarters before its defense started to run out of steam.

All told, Kansas State didn't get the result it wanted in the bowl game, but the future of the program remains bright under the guidance of Klieman.

The Navy Midshipmen changed their team motto for the 2019 season from "Load the Clip" to "Win the Day" after concerns were raised about insensitivity toward victims of gun violence.

Chase Cook of the Capital Gazette provided a statement from Naval Academy superintendent vice admiral Sean S. Buck about Friday's decision.

"It is always my priority, part of my mission statement, for the Navy to be a good neighbor," he said. "The bottom line is, we missed the mark here. The initial internal football team motto selected, 'Load the Clip,' was inappropriate and insensitive to the community we call home, and for that, I take responsibility for, and apologize to not only the Capital Gazette, but the entire Annapolis community."

Maryland, the home of Navy football, was the location of two mass shootings last year. Five members of the Capital Gazette staff were killed by a gunman in the newspaper's Annapolis newsroom in June 2018, and three people were killed at an Aberdeen Rite-Aid store last September, per Cook.

Midshipmen head coach Ken Niumatalolo previously told the Capital Gazette he was "leery" about the proposed slogan.

"Clearly it's a metaphor that speaks to the fact we're going to battle every weekend and when you go to battle you need to have enough ammunition," he said. "It means you have to be prepared for the fight and that is a process that happens every day."

Naval Academy athletic director Chet Gladchuk said the coaching staff and players decided to change the slogan after they realized it "created sensitivities that were not aligned with the original intent," per Cook.

The Midshipmen open the regular season Aug. 31 against Holy Cross.

Virginia's Joe Reed returned the opening kickoff of Thursday's Military Bowl 98 yards for a touchdown, and at least for a few seconds, it looked as though it might be the Cavaliers' day.

Not so much. 

Navy thoroughly dominated Virginia behind its option running attack and a suffocating defense, scoring 49 unanswered points after Reed's touchdown en route to a 49-7 victory at the Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland.

Navy gave up a 98-yard KO return TD to Virginia on the first play of the game. How did it answer?

By scoring 49 unanswered. pic.twitter.com/VKeO3xRlOg

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 28, 2017

The Midshipmen attempted just one pass, an incompletion, but it didn't matter, as they rushed for 452 yards while holding an impressive 42 minutes in time of possession. Virginia, meanwhile, turned the ball over three times and managed just 175 yards from scrimmage.

Quarterbacks Malcolm Perry (16 rushes for 114 yards and two touchdowns) and Zach Abey (13 rushes for 88 yards and five scores) led the way for Navy, while running back Chris High added 101 rushing yards. Even by Navy's standards, Thursday's rushing performance was historic, per ESPN Stats & Information: 

Navy had 76 rushes for 452 yards in its win over Virginia.

76 rush attempts are most by a Navy team since 2013 when it rushed 93 times in a loss to Toledo pic.twitter.com/Qc8wuhsTSM

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 28, 2017

Virginia was held to just 30 yards on the ground, meanwhile, with most of its offense coming from the inconsistent quarterback play of Kurt Benkert (16-of-36, 145 yards, no touchdowns, one interception).

Suffice it to say, things got pretty ugly for Virginia late in the game, as Jesse Varner of WTKR News 3 noted: 

Come on #Navy.... #UVA #GoHoos #MilitaryBowl pic.twitter.com/Bsgf3I9xti

— Jesse Varner (@DCNewsPhotog) December 28, 2017

Frankly, the Cavaliers were comically bad at points.

Late in the third quarter, punter Lester Coleman turned the ball over while attempting to kick the ball away after he knelt to catch a low snap. In college, a player is automatically ruled down if his knee touches the ground, even if he wasn't contacted, so instead of punting, the Cavaliers turned the ball over on downs, losing 14 yards on the play and giving the Midshipmen the ball on the Virginia 23-yard line.

Virginia also missed a field goal, fumbled a punt return and had another turnover on downs at Navy's 30-yard line.

Nonetheless, Justin Ferber of Rivals tried to find the silver lining for the Cavaliers on a day when everything went wrong:

Next year will be a critical one, particularly for Robert Anae and the offense. The defense will have to replace Blanding, Brown and Kiser as well. Should be an interesting season in 2018.

— Justin Ferber (@Justin_Ferber) December 28, 2017

Virginia head coach Bronco Mendenhall took the blame for the team's flat performance, per Sherree Burruss of NBC Washington: 

UVA Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall said he didn't have his team prepared for today based off the way they played. Complimented Navy and their performance #militarybowl pic.twitter.com/uEm64Efd72

— Sherree Burruss (@SherreeBurruss) December 28, 2017

It should be noted that Navy not only played on its home field, but the frigid conditions favored its smashmouth brand of football. Nonetheless, the loss was a bitter end to Virginia's 6-7 season, the team's sixth straight season with a losing record.

Navy may not be pleased with a 7-6 campaign after winning at least eight games in the past five seasons, but Thursday's dominance will give the team something to build upon in 2018.

🚨 #ArmyNavy Uniform Release! 🚨#NavyFootball will be wearing Under Armour Blue Angels Uniforms for the Army-Navy Game! @uafootball pic.twitter.com/jQVfgzCDk9

— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) November 27, 2017

Navy's football squad will honor the Blue Angels by wearing all-blue uniforms for their annual showdown with Army.

The Midshipmen unveiled the Under Armour Blue Angels attire in anticipation of Dec. 9's game against the Black Knights. They also released a video showing off their sleek garb. 

Army-Navy. Nothing more needs to be said. See you December 9th. #RaiseTheSail pic.twitter.com/C9fDwS18jt

— Navy Football (@NavyFB) November 27, 2017

Per WTKR.com's Adam Winkler, Naval Academy Director of Athletics Chet Gladchuk commented on the uniform's significance. 

"This tribute to the Blue Angels reflects the enthusiastic pride and appreciation we have for the Navy's premier flying team and the motivation they convey to Navy football and the fleet at large," Gladchuk said. 

Last year, Navy designed "Beat Army" attire for the rivalry game. Army, which snapped a 15-year drought with a 21-17 victory, wore uniforms honoring World War II paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division.

[Navy Athletics/Football]

Navy Athletics confirmed that former Oregon, Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is expected to spend the week with the program and help at spring practices.

"Obviously one of the best coaches in the game," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said of Kelly, per Gene Wang of the Washington Post. "For us to have an opportunity to be around him, learn from him, we're just trying to soak in as much as we can."

"Some of the things he did at Oregon revolutionized football," Niumatalolo added. "Everybody's doing no-huddle, one-word concepts. His offseason stuff, his uptempo stuff, a lot of the things that he implemented, literally high school, college and pro guys are doing it. He's definitely a trendsetter."

The admiration is mutual. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk broke down Kelly's well-documented respect for the program:

Chip Kelly has long been an admirer of the U.S. Navy. When he coached at Oregon he modeled some of his offseason program on Navy SEALs workout routines, and when the Eagles hired him he hired a Navy SEALs trainer to serve as Philadelphia’s sports science coordinator. Kelly has attended Navy games while he was an NFL head coach, and there was even talk that he might be interested in coaching Navy.

Kelly, 53, was indeed a visionary at Oregon, where his read-option spread attack and and breakneck pace influenced college offenses and inspired Oregon's trip to the BCS National Championship Game in 2011. And while he went 10-6 in his first two seasons with the Eagles, he never had the same level of success at the pro level, going 6-9 in his final year with the Eagles in 2015 before going 2-14 in his lone campaign with the Niners last year.

Kelly has been making the rounds at college campuses, however, attending a New Mexico Lobos practice on April 3 and a Texas A&M Aggies practice last Wednesday. He also visited with Alabama's coaches in January.

"If I get a chance to watch someone else practice and train, I jump at the opportunity," Kelly said during his New Mexico visit, per Rick Wright of the Albuquerque Journal. "It's always good to see how other people do things."

                   

For more news, rumors and related stories about Chip Kelly, Navy football and college football, check out the college football and Navy streams on Bleacher Report's app.    

After he put up record-breaking numbers for four years, the Navy Midshipmen honored Keenan Reynolds on Sunday night.

The Navy quarterback who won 32 games for the Midshipmen—a school record—had his No. 19 jersey retired, becoming the fourth player in program history to receive the honor.

Navy Athletics captured an image of Reynolds holding his framed jersey:

Congratulations to Keenan Reynolds whose jersey #19 was officially retired tonight at the #NavyFootball Banquet. pic.twitter.com/LiGexHIMqX

— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) February 28, 2016

Reynolds set the Football Bowl Subdivision record this year by scoring his 88th career rushing touchdown, and he ended his collegiate career with 4,559 rushing yards—the most ever by an FBS quarterback—per NavySports.com.

Reynolds reflected on his career Sunday, per NavySports.com:

This is quite an honor and something that I never dreamed would happen. I give all the credit to my teammates. This is a group honor and without my teammates over the past four years none of this would have been possible. I would like to thank Vice Admiral Carter, Mr. Gladchuk and Coach Niumatalolo for this unbelievable honor that I will never forget.

Reynolds led Navy to an 11-2 record in 2015, which the team capped off with a 44-28 win in the Military Bowl, and also finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.

The Associated Press third-team All-American joined two-time All-American Napoleon McCallum and Heisman Trophy winners Joe Bellino (1960) and Roger Staubach (1963) as the only players whose numbers have been retired by the program.

Despite his record-breaking college career, Reynolds was snubbed by the NFL Scouting Combine, per Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports. Reynolds will likely have to switch positions after spending four years in an option-based Navy offense. His 4,559 rushing yards should convince some team to take a chance on Reynolds, though, and his former head coach, Ken Niumatalolo, thinks he deserves the opportunity.

"I think if he's just given a chance, wherever, he'll have a chance to succeed," Niumatalolo said, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. "The ball was always in his hands, and if he ends up playing running back, he'll do well. There were always things he did that would amaze you."

Stats courtesy of Sports-Reference.com.