One of the most underrated programs in college football continues to battle every week. Under Brian Newberry, the Navy Midshipmen coaching staff looks to start a new era but also hopes to achieve the same results.
Navy Midshipmen Coaching Staff
Head Coach, Brian Newberry
Newberry was promoted to head coach after Navy let Ken Niumatalolo go back in 2022. The former Midshipmen defensive coordinator was promoted after spending 4 years in his previous position under Niumatalolo.
Before joining the Navy Midshipmen coaching staff, Newberry served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Kennesaw State from 2015-18, helping elevate the Owls defense during his tenure.
He’s also held roles on the defensive side of the ball at Northern Michigan, University of the South, Elon, and Washington & Lee.
Offensive Coordinator, Grant Chesnut
Chesnut joined the Navy Midshipmen coaching staff in 2023, reuniting with Newberry after spending time at Kennesaw State in roles of offensive coordinator and offensive line since 2014. His triple-option attack helped elevate the Owls offense, and his variation gives the Midshipmen a different look to a classic offense.
Before getting to the college ranks, Chesnut found success at the high school level, and his positions are listed below.
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- Central High School (Georgia) – Head Coach
- Mary Persons – Offensive Line
- Camden County High School – Defensive Line
- Thomasville High School – Co-Defensive Coordinator
- Pickens County High School – Offensive Line Coach
Defensive Coordinator, P.J. Volker
With Newberry’s promotion came a promotion of P.J. Volker’s own. After spending 4 years with the Midshipmen as the linebackers coach, Newberry promoted his long-time colleague to defensive coordinator in addition to his previous role.
Volker played a huge role in making players like Colin Ramos and Diego Fagot into all-conference talent. Before coming to the Navy, Volker served as a defensive assistant at Kennesaw State. He also spent time at Georgia State and Indiana State on the defensive side of the ball.
Special Teams Coordinator, Ricky Brown
Brown also coaches the strikers and raiders on defense, a unique position to the Navy program (and elite position names if you ask me). He’s in his first year with the Navy Midshipmen coaching staff.
He comes from the Tulsa Golden Hurricane program as the special teams coordinator and served in various positions in college football. Before Tulsa, he coached at Cincinnati, Ohio State, Boston College, and USC.
Offensive Line Coach, Ashley Ingram
One of the longest-tenured coaches currently on the staff, Ingram has been with Navy for 16 years coaching the offensive line. As of 2023, he also holds the title of assistant head coach. Before Navy, he coached at Bucknell and Rhode Island.
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Cornerbacks, Robert Green
Green enters his 9th year as the cornerbacks coach for the Navy Midshipmen coaching staff but enters his 11th year with the program overall. He was the Director of Player Development for two years when he first arrived on campus.
Defensive Line, Jerrick Hall
Entering his 5th year with Navy, Hall received a promotion to the defensive line coach last year. In the 3 years prior, he coached the nose guards and defensive tackles. He came from Elon and also coached at Fordham, University of New Haven, Campbell, and NC State.
Quarterbacks, Ivin Jasper
Ivin Jasper’s been a foundational figure in Navy football for 24 years, but he’s also a great example of how to handle adversity. After being fired back in 2021 in a weird situation, Jasper returned as the quarterbacks coach for Navy.
He’s coached some great Navy quarterbacks like Keenan Reynolds, Malcolm Perry, Zach Abey, and more during his time with the Midshipmen.
Fullbacks, Tommy Laurendine
After coaching at Mississippi College as the offensive coordinator, Laurendine comes to Navy to coach the fullbacks. Before Mississippi College, he was the offensive coordinator at Sewanee. His offenses at both schools were Top 10 in rush offense.
Tight Ends, Jon Williams
Williams accepted quite the culture shift when he came to the Navy after serving as Director of Football Operations and Chief of Staff at Miami (FL). He held a similar role at Rice in 2021 but also coached tight ends at Birmingham Southern from 2019-21.
Linebackers, Brenten Wimberly
Wimberly and defensive coordinator P.J. Volker work side by side coaching the linebackers for the Navy Midshipmen coaching staff. Before Navy, Wimberly held the role of graduate assistant at both Alabama and Georgia Tech.
Wide Receivers, Mick Yokitis
Navy isn’t known for throwing the ball, but the wide receivers still must play a key role in the offense. Mick Yokitis enters his 13th year as the wide receivers coach. A graduate of the Naval Academy, Yokitis was the head coach and offensive coordinator at Naval Academy Prep School before joining the Midshipmen.
Assistant Coach/Defensive Line, Va’a Niumatalolo
Ken Niumatalolo’s son enters his 4th season with the Midshipmen assisting with the defensive line. Before Navy, he coached at the University of Hawai’i as an offensive intern and graduate assistant.
Offensive Assistant/Slot Backs, Marcus Thomas
When you learn from Chip Kelly, you pick up a thing or two or three or an infinite amount of things. So Marcus Thomas brings a wealth of knowledge to Navy from his time at UCLA. The former Midshipman is the school’s all-time leader in kickoff return yardage too.
