Navy MidReport: Recruits At Impact Positions Are The Silver Lining Among Slow Start

[SyndaKyt]

 

Coach SyndaKyt can breathe easy. Current and former midshipmen will put away the pitchforks and cannons, for now. The Mids have started with an abysmal 0-3 record, with choked leads to rival Notre Dame after leading in the game 17-6, and proceeding to allow 21 unanswered points, a thrashing by Heisman candidate RB McGrath and UNM, and an embarrasing 17-13 loss to the Chair Force, um Air Force. The next game on the calendar will have them running into the buzzsaw that is Tulane. It's safe to say that it has been very discouraging. After walking into the press conference with a glum demeanor, Head Coach SyndaKyt lights up with the prospects of two blue chip recruits committing to the Naval Academy.

 

Let's meet the fresh new Midshipmen!

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ #13 OT Christopher Gillies, Eastern Regional HS

 

 

Gillies was essentially a match made in heaven for the Navy football program. Weighing just under 300 pounds and standing at 6'4, he will serve as the rock needed to pancake and lock down a position that seems to get freakier and faster every year in edge rushers. His strong suit is protecting the blindside, allowing whoever manning the QB position, (or most athletic kid on the team, let's be honest) ample time to make reads or make a play for the Eastern Vikings. He was really put on notice as despite losing to Don Bosco Prep in NJ, their coach could not throw any mix of blitzes or personnel to get past him. Navy scouts fell in love with the tackle and could not believe other teams were not courting him. Coach SyndaKyt flexed his military connections muscle and welcomed him to an on-campus visit. Somehow the big man flew under the radar only netting one outstanding offer, but it could be due to his vocal criteria for a school.

 

Gillies stated,"I really have the desire to stay near my family and be close so that they could attend my college games. My dad came to every game I have played in, even when I was a JV scrub. I also am very interested in attending a service academy as I was a military Brat with my dad also being a strict but hardworking Marine in the household." During signing day, the eccentric Gillies only had one hat on his table and made it well known in advance that he would be apart of the Midshipmen.

 

As far as his positioning with the team, as good as Sr OT Walford was, his strong suit was being a bulldozer in the power run game, and Gillies marks out to be the first true blindside tackle for this program. He is in a position to possibly start and run reps with the first-team unit next season.

 

 

 

⭐⭐⭐⭐ #8 QB Kyung Hui, Phillipsburg HS

 

Phillipsburg and Easton. Peanut Butter and Jelly. Batman and Joker. It just feels right. This year marks the 116th anniversary of a hard nosed, bone breaking rivalry and the Korean-Chinese player finds himself in the middle of it. Do not be fooled by the image, the wizard in the pocket stands the same height as Gillies and has a firm foundation with 220 pounds of size. Playing at Easton High School's home field, Hui is standing in the shotgun for the Phillipsburg Stateliners. He strings a few good plays together, yet on the opponents 30 yard line he throws an interception to a lurking DB in the flat. "OVERRATED! OVERRATED! OVERRATED!" The Easton crowd heckles him. Hui has been with the Stateliners since moving to NJ as a freshman. The series has been 3 Easton wins to 1 win between the teams his last four seasons. Hui says he cannot remember much of what happens next.

 

Lights Out.

 

He proceeded to hang 380 yards and 4 touchdowns since that interception. Suffice to say, he is a closer and made every Easton fan drive home quietly. That's when Navy knew he was THAT guy, even more than David Scott or Edward Laakso for the Midshipmen. During his recruitment, he made it known that he enjoyed the roar of the crowd when making a play. As a kid he imagined playing at the big schools. He also has a desire to move to a different state for college ball, so Rutgers was out of the picture on his list. Following in his father's footsteps, similar to Souza last year, he wanted to make the jump to a service academy. Army was further down the totem pole, with the archaic Double Wing offense not allowing him to showcase his talents. With offers from talented Arkansas and Big Ten threat Nebraska, Hui took up the Navy hat. "Ever since I picked up a football, I was doubted and was looked down upon. I was told I should be a nerd and not an athlete. I worked my ass off to be able to obtain a free education with my scholarships, but most importantly, I want to be in the driver seat of turning this ship around," Hui remarks. Navy touted his commitment as potentially the most important for this recruiting cycle.

 

When he arrives on campus, he has the opportunity to battle with Ramirez immediately for the starter position and has a good chance to win out. His throw power allows the ball to be moved down the field vertically and his accuracy will potentially improve with each year. We may see Navy move away from more mobile QBs for QBs that can stand in the pocket and deliver strikes in between the defense.

 

This is undoubtedly a great start and a win on the recruiting front. Stay with us to explore the journey as more commits start to roll in for the Midshipmen as the season progresses!

[kgreene829]

love this man great job