After a winter of studying film, Navy started spring football practice yesterday. Coach Ken Niumatalolo kicked it off with a 45-minute session with reporters. A wide array of topics were discussed, but none more than his continuing adjustment to the position he took over in December after Paul Johnson left for Georgia Tech. More on that in the coming weeks.
Niumatalolo said his philosophy for the next couple of months is simple: Improve the team. The Midshipmen have won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy five straight years, and the ultra-competitive coach isn't looking for that streak to end any time soon.
"We don't want to get complacent," he said. "We know the other two guys we're competing against for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy are getting out there. We don't want to be the staff or group that drops the ball"
Niumatalolo and his staff will spend the spring evaluating plebes and Navy's other inexperienced players, as is typical of spring practices. But they will need to see how their personnel changes work. Niumatalolo said he wants his best players on the field as much as possible, so he shifted the roles of some of his talented backups to fill needs left by seniors.
Notable changes on the spring depth chart:
* Junior Andy Lark moving from nose tackle to center. Lark is one of the strongest players on the team, and the graduating Antron Harper left a void at the position. Lark was stuck behind starting nose tackle Nate Frazier, so Niumatalolo moved him to the other side of the ball.
* Backup quarterback Jarod Bryant seeing time at slot back and serving as the main punt returner. Bryant succeeded when subbing for starting quarterback Kaipo-Noa Kaheaku-Enhada last season. He was quick and shifty, showing an ability to make tacklers miss. Thanks to Reggie Campbell, Navy's return game last season was stellar, and Niumatalolo would like to see that continue. It will be interesting to see how Bryant adjusts to the increased workload, since he is still one play away from being the team's quarterback, and will need to prepare for that.
* Junior linebacker Clint Sovie and senior safety Jeff Deliz, both starters who missed the majority of 2007 with injuries, will be back practicing this spring and competing to reclaim their starting spots. Their injuries opened the door for a slew of younger players to get game experience last year, although for the most part watching the Mids defense last year wasn't pretty. The unit should be improved in 2008, and these two could play a big part in that.
