Navy OC Drew Cronic Optimistic About Returning Talent In 2024

The Navy Midshipmen begin spring practice on March 5. Offensive coordinator Drew Cronic will be spending his first spring in Annapolis after joining Brian Newberry's staff in January.

The former Mercer head coach recently appeared on the Anchors Aweigh podcast, hosted by longtime Navy sports writers Bill Wagner and Pete Medhurst. 

As part of a longer conversation, Cronic spoke to Navy's returning talent on offense and what changes returning players should expect to their roles.

"The quarterback room has a lot of ability," Cronic noted. "There's some ability there with Braxton [Woodson] and Blake [Horvath], kids that can run and do some things. I'm going to learn a lot about these kids as we go through spring practice...That's one of the things we're meeting about as a staff is getting those profiles there. Who fits where for us?"

Cronic clarified that while there will definitely be some tweaks to the type of offense that the players are used to, he believes that he and the rest of the staff will be able to find the right fits, when positional or formation changes are needed.

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"There's going to be some similar formations to what you've seen in the traditional double-slot, but there's some nuances there with some of those positions that we want to make sure we're getting kids in the right position to do the job we're asking them to do."

Cronic also noted his happiness with the type of players he's inherited in Annapolis, adding that last season's 5-7 record was only a few plays away from being very different. Navy lost five games by 14 points or less in 2023.

"If you look at last year's schedule, what happens if you average one more touchdown per game?...[Opponents] probably score three or four less points per game...Then you're probably 8-4."

At Mercer this past season, Cronic and the Bears averaged scored 24.4 points per game and 323.3 yards per game. Navy averaged 17.67 points. With the aforementioned tweaks and personnel shifts, Cronic seems optimistic about replicating his offensive success from the FCS level.

"We're going to have good, tough, physical, disciplined kids. If you get a little bit of speed at the right spots, you give yourself a great chance to be successful."

The 2024 Navy football season kicks off on August 31 when the Midshipmen host Bucknell.