Yesterday, as the calendar turned from June to July, Navy officially became the 12th member of the American Athletic Conference.
The Midshipmen are a welcome addition to a conference that is basically just a hodgepodge of schools left in the rubble of college football’s chaotic realignment period. And while the inclusion of Navy may not help the AAC in forming any sort of discernible identity, it does provide the conference with a solid program that boasts a unique national brand.
While Navy’s days as a national powerhouse program have long since passed, the Midshipmen have had an impressive level of consistent success since just after the turn of the millennium.
When Paul Johnson arrived in Annapolis in 2002, he brought with him a triple option style of offense that has often given opposing defenses headaches for more than a decade. When he left to take the reins at Georgia Tech, the torch was passed to offensive coordinator Ken Niumatalolo, who had both played and coached under Johnson.
The positive momentum built during Johnson’s six-year tenure has continued under Niumatalolo, who has won a school-record 57 games in his seven seasons at the helm.
Since 2003, Navy has posted a 100-54 and failed to win at least eight games in a season just once over that span. The Midshipmen have also made bowl appearances 11 times in the last 12 years and own a 13-game winning streak over Army in their iconic rivalry.
That amount of success would be impressive at most programs, but it’s made even more admirable given that its happened at a service academy, who are certainly at an inherent disadvantage in a college football landscape that continues to evolve into a sport with bigger, more physical players, the likes of which are often at a premium at the service academies.
But now, Navy faces a whole new test as it prepares to play as a member of a conference for the first time in program history.
Whether or not the Midshipmen’s success as an FBS Independent will carry over to their new conference remains to be seen, but many do expect Navy’s triple option offense to continue to flourish with Keenan Reynolds under center. Few would be surprised to see the Midshipmen battling for the West Division crown in 2015, but we’ll just have to wait and see how the season plays out.
Welcome aboard, Navy, the AAC is thrilled to have you.
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