4. College Football News Preview 2020: Navy Midshipmen Defense 3 Things To Know
– Defensive coordinator Brian Newberry stepped in last year and the D started to attack a whole lot more. The Midshipmen went from generating ten sacks and 37 tackles for loss in 2018 to 30 sacks and 80 tackles for loss with the pressure coming from everywhere. However, four of the top five leaders in tackles for loss on the best defense in the American Athletic Conference have to be replaced.
– The linebackers will be the stars. Junior Diego Fagot is a legitimate next-level prospect with the time and the range to get in on everything, and the replacements for Paul Carothers and – potentially – Jacob Springer are going to rise up in a hurry once the team gets time to try out all the parts.
Big nose guard Jackson Pittman is done, and now size is going to be a problem up front if 318-pound Mike Flowers doesn’t become a factor – he’s the biggest option up front. J’arius Warren is a quick option on the outside who can get behind the line in a hurry, and senior Jackson Perkins is a decent tackle who should put up decent numbers with more work.
– The secondary is going to be up in the air for a while. Losing safety/linebacker Jacob Springer to the transfer portal is a killer – he turned into a terror at getting behind the line. Corner Michael McMorris dove into the portal as well, but senior safety Evan Fochtman is back along with big corner Cameron Kinley. As long as Newberry’s defense keeps getting into the backfield, the defensive backs will be okay.