Navy And Army Provide Road Map For UCLA Football.
Undefeated Army and Navy provide a model for future success for UCLA football.
Navy and Army are enjoying excellent seasons, and if UCLA adopts a similar approach, they could also find success in the future.
In 2023, Army had a 2-6 record going into their match with Air Force, while Navy was 3-5 prior to facing UAB last season. Skip ahead to the 2024 season; both squads are unbeaten and aiming for a spot in the 12-team college football playoffs. Next, we will examine the importance of this for the future of UCLA football.
UCLA can use Navy football from the last two seasons as a model for winning in the future. The Navy’s 2022 season concluded with just four wins and a defeat to Army in the final game. Ken Niumatalolo was let go from his position as head coach of the Midshipmen following his and Navy’s third season with a losing record.
The Navy team brought on Brian Newberry as their defensive coordinator, and later he was promoted to head coach. In his debut season as a college football head coach, he led Navy to a 5-7 record with three losses in their first four games and a defeat to Army in the season finale after winning four of their last eight games. Nevertheless, it was their highest number of victories in a season since the 2019 season.
In his second season at Newberry, he has led the Midshipmen to an undefeated 5-0 record and a spot in the top 25, setting up a game against Charlotte. Their major challenge of the year will be facing off against No. 12 ranked Notre Dame in East Rutherford, N.J., on October 26th. If they manage to beat the Fighting Irish, they will be in a great position to secure a spot in the college football playoffs.
The Army’s football program in recent seasons has been decent, but not outstanding. Head coach Jeff Monken led the Black Knights to a 6-6 record in both 2023 and 2022. Army’s most recent appearance in a Bowl game was in 2021, where they emerged victorious against Missouri in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. Nonetheless, Monken has experienced only three seasons with losses in his tenure as the head coach of the Black Knights in his eleventh season.
Following the 2021 season, it was said that Monken was in the running for the Kansas position. Nevertheless, he remained with Army and guided the Black Knights to strong results in their seasons for the past two years, which included consecutive victories against Navy and winning the final three games in each of the last two seasons.
What can UCLA football learn from the success of the Navy and Army? There are a few factors to take into account in this situation. For Navy, giving a new head coach the chance to revamp the program rapidly through strong recruiting, despite lacking college football head coaching experience, and with the support of coordinators who will help the team succeed.
DeShaun Foster and Newberry share multiple similarities. Foster has the ability to carry out Newberry’s plan for advancing a program to the next level. Chip Kelly and Ken Niumatalolo achieved some success at UCLA and Navy respectively but never reached the pinnacle, particularly in the current era of 12-team college football playoffs. Currently, Newberry still needs to work towards achieving the goal, and Foster will face challenges ahead with the Bruins competing in the Big Ten, but it is feasible.
Army has achieved a similar level of success to UCLA under Kelly, with both teams winning nine games in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. UCLA also won eight games in 2021 and nine in 2022, but could have potentially reached nine wins if their bowl game hadn’t been cancelled. Monken stayed at Army instead of leaving for another job, and now he is experiencing the advantages of the Black Knight’s potential to reach the 12-team college football playoffs.
UCLA has an advantage with improved recruiting tools, such as NIL financial benefits, even though they compete in a tougher conference and face a more demanding schedule. Nevertheless, UCLA has the potential to secure victories in four out of their final six games, building momentum as they head into their second year under Foster. The strategy for success being demonstrated by the Army and Navy this season may not be directly applicable to UCLA, but they should closely examine it to improve their chances of winning in the 2025 season.