Historic season for Navy’s Blake Horvath has him in elite company
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Heather Dinich, ESPN Senior Writer
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — On a hot, sunny, September morning, hundreds of Midshipmen, dressed in their matching fatigues for a “tactical Thursday,” crisscrossed Navy‘s campus to get to their next class, identical black backpacks hanging from their shoulders.
Midstride, a Midshipman peered out from under the brim of his required hat to say good morning with a huge grin.
“That’s our quarterback,” Navy fullback Daba Fofana told a nearby visitor.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, junior Blake Horvath easily blends in with his classmates on the Yard during school hours — his 3.53 GPA as an operations research major included. When it comes to Navy quarterbacks, though, Horvath stands alone as the best dual-purpose quarterback the program has seen — and probably the only one in the country who wasn’t a household name entering this season but has aligned himself statistically with some of the best in the sport.
The highest a Navy quarterback has ever finished in QBR — which ESPN has been tracking since 2004 — is sixth, by Malcolm Perry in 2019. Horvath entered this week ranked No. 3 in total QBR but for about a month was No. 1 — a spot that in years past has been reserved for the likes of Jayden Daniels (2023), Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud (2021), Alabama’s Mac Jones (2020), LSU’s Joe Burrow (2019) and Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray (2018).
Just a few first-round NFL draft picks.
“And there’s Blake!” said Navy quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper with a smile.
Not bad for an unassuming Ohio kid who was recruited by a few Division II schools and Mid-American schools Toledo, Ball State and Miami (Ohio) — as a wide receiver and safety.
“People do not understand,” Jasper said. “Blake is really sneaky athletic. You see some high school film where he’s going off two feet and dunking it — I mean going up and throwing it down. It was like, ‘Whoa.’ But he walks in the room, he has this goofy smile on his face, he’s always cracking jokes and giving guys a hard time. He reminds me of the character Mahoney from ‘Police Academy.’ People came after him as a safety, a receiver — he’s a real smart football player, I’m sure he can do any of those things — but we’re happy he’s playing quarterback for us.”
Horvath is a big reason why Navy enters Saturday’s critical game against Notre Dame in Metlife Stadium with a 6-0 record for the first time since 1979. He’s leading the nation’s No. 4 scoring offense (44.8), Navy’s highest average in more than 100 years. The Midshipmen are also No. 1 in red zone offense (23-23), No. 2 in yards per completion (19.3), and No. 4 in rushing offense (274.8).
Horvath, whose breakout season is also his first as the full-time starter, joins Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard as the only quarterbacks in the FBS who have reached double figures in both rushing (10) and passing touchdowns (10) this fall. Horvath, who has thrown only one interception, has been responsible for 20.7 points per game, which ranks seventh nationally. And he enters this week ranked as the No. 1 overall quarterback in the FBS by Pro Football Focus with a grade of 92.7 and the No. 2 overall runner (all players, not just quarterbacks) with a grade of 93.0.
This is an undefeated quarterback whose class lineup includes advanced math programming, data wrangling and visualization, applications of cyber engineering, and dynamic and stochastic models.
(Free wings for any college football fan who knows what stochastic models are.)
“Academics are pretty tough here,” Horvath said. “So, being able to take a bad grade on a test, or a bad quiz and go over to football and forgetting about it — or the other way around, and not letting the success of football get to your head and make you take academics any lighter, because they’re both equally as important in their own right.
“In the past, one of the big things for our football team has been exam weeks,” he said. “During exam weeks, things get pretty stressful, and last season, our two worst games were during exam weeks because of the stress and everything. This year, we already had one during UAB week and we were able to pull out the win. It’s indicative of our team and our ability to overcome some things this season.”
(No, they don’t have exams this week before the Notre Dame game.)
0:51
Blake Horvath launches 77-yard pass to Nathan Kent for Navy TD
Blake Horvath connects with Nathan Kent on a 77-yard pass to make it 21-3 to Navy over UAB.
Instead, the test is whether Navy can sustain its offensive success against a Notre Dame defense that will be light years better than any the Midshipmen have faced so far this season. The Irish are No. 5 in the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to 11.86 points per game. Navy’s opponents are currently ranked 119th in winning percentage (.433).
While Navy’s offense has been soaring, it has come against only one team with a winning record: Memphis (5-1). Temple, UAB and Air Force have combined for four wins.
This isn’t the Navy offense you’re used to seeing, though.
Navy still runs the triple option — in fact first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic’s roots are the wing-T. Navy, though, has modernized it.
How?
Well, for starters they call it the “Millennial wing-T.”
It’s a multiple offense. Navy’s quarterbacks have to be fluent in the option, RPO and pro style. They run zone reads and inside zone, and it’s all working. Navy is just one of three teams in the country, along with Army and Indiana, that have won every game this season by double digits.
“It’s not the old-school wing-T that some high schools still run, under center, only handoff left, handoff right,” said Horvath, who is one of three quarterbacks with at least 10 rushing touchdowns, along with rival Army’s Bryson Daily and Alabama’s Milroe. “You can run whatever you want, and we sort of do that. We’ll line up in shotgun, we’ll do whatever’s necessary to get our guys the football in positions for them to succeed.”
Make no mistake — this is still a run-first offense, as Horvath has only attempted 72 passes. By comparison, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier has thrown it 284 times. The difference in Cronic’s system is that Horvath is talented enough to add that option to the playbook. He has completed 64% of his passes — almost the same as Nussmeier (64.7%). Heading into a game against Navy’s first ranked opponent, Horvath is on pace to not only join but, in some cases, blow by some records set by the who’s who of Navy quarterbacks.
Horvath can obliterate the school record for passing efficiency set by Malcolm Perry, and he’s on pace for the third-best completion percentage behind Hall of Famer Roger Staubach (who is also first and second). He can become the first quarterback in school history to throw for 2,000 and rush for 1,000.
“We have a lot of really good football players here, kids who I think can play anywhere in the country,” Cronic said. “Maybe they’re 2 inches short or 10 pounds light, but we have some kids who can run and do some things and play the football. Blake’s running by people.”
Horvath can also crush the school record for passing yards per attempt (set by Will Worth) and passing yards per completion (set by Ricky Dobbs) and passing touchdowns in a season (also set by Dobbs).
As a team, the 6-0 start is a departure from the recent past. Navy finished 5-7, 4-8, 4-8 and 3-7 the past four seasons. They haven’t had a winning season since going 11-2 in 2019.
“We talk a lot about what the seniors have been through, and what a lot of guys as a team have been through in the past few years,” Horvath said. “We really wanted to come into this season making a change, and to leave a legacy that’s different from what we’ve produced in the past. Being in the position that I’m in, Navy’s had a lot of great quarterbacks — Keenan Reynolds, Malcolm Perry, Roger Staubach — a lot of guys who have been the face of Navy football because they were the quarterback. So when it comes to being a quarterback here, you’re sort of thrust into that role and you have to be able to handle it.”
Horvath earned the role late this past spring, when he beat sophomore Braxton Woodson for the starting job in what was a “neck and neck” competition. Horvath had only started one game last season — and only played in four total games in his collegiate career. His season ended early in October 2023 because of a dislocated thumb that required surgery and a screw. Jasper said Horvath’s arm has gotten stronger, he’s throwing the football better — and it’s all “way more” than they expected.
“You really didn’t know until he got into the games how he was going to respond under the lights,” Jasper said. “We are loving this. We’ve got our quarterback.”
Just two years ago, their quarterback was on the scout team and didn’t play one snap in a game. Now he has thrown for at least 100 yards in all six games — the longest streak by a Navy quarterback since Jim Kubiak did it in 22 straight games over the 1993 and ’94 seasons.
“He’ll step in to throw, know he’s gonna get hit and put it on the money,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said.
And those within the program agree that even with all of his achievements, Horvath has remained humble.
“Blake has the ability of conveying confidence without it being arrogance,” Cronic said. “He has a toughness about him. He needs the right skill set, obviously, but if he’s tough and he’s a competitor, and the guys believe he’s going to get ’em in the end zone, that’s what you’re looking for. When they believe we’re gonna win because he’s in the game, everybody else just plays better, plays freer.”
Navy, one of just 10 undefeated teams left in the country, was picked by the media to finish 11th in the 14-team American Athletic Conference. The Midshipmen are currently in second place with a win over preseason favorite Memphis. A win against Notre Dame would give Navy its first 7-0 start since 1978.
It would also legitimize Navy as a possible playoff contender, as the five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the 12-team field. If Navy wins the AAC — and has a neutral-site road win against Notre Dame on its résumé — the CFP selection committee could rank Navy high enough for inclusion. It would also depend on how the other Group of 5 conference races unfold, starting Friday night with Boise State at UNLV.
Navy has only beaten a ranked Notre Dame team four times in the series history, the last coming in 2009. While Horvath has come to realize he has played his way into elite company, he remains grounded in who he is.
“I don’t have to do anything outside of who I am to win a game,” said Horvath, who was recruited out of Hilliard Darby High School in Hilliard, Ohio. “I don’t have to go in and play like Joe Burrow or Caleb Williams in order for us to win. I can just be Blake Horvath and we can still win the game. As long as everyone else is doing the same, we’ll be pretty good.”
In the new 12-team College Football Playoff format, there is an added emphasis on conference championships. The four highest-ranked conference champions receive a first-round bye and a fifth conference champion is guaranteed a spot in the field. Those champions will be determined by conference title games held Dec. 6-7.
But in a college football landscape that has mostly done away with divisions and with some conferences expanding to as many as 18 teams, it can be difficult to figure out who is in line to reach those conference title games.
We’re here to help out. Below are the list of tiebreakers for each league to help determine conference championship game participants.
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Win percentage against common opponents
3. Win percentage against common opponents from top-to-bottom of the conference standings (breaking ties among tied teams)
4. Combined win percentage of conference opponents
5. Higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric (from SportSource Analytics)
6. Draw administered by the ACC commissioner
Three-plus team tie: In case of a tie for both conference championship spots, once the tiebreaker identifies one championship game representative, it will start over with the remaining tied teams.
1. Combined head-to-head win percentage among the tied teams (if all tied teams are common opponents)
2. If all tied teams are not common opponents, if any tied team defeated each of the other tied teams
2a. If all tied teams are not common opponents, and no tied team defeated each of the other tied teams, but a tied team lost to each of the other tied teams, that team is eliminated
3. Win percentage against common opponents
4. Win percentage against common opponents from top-to-bottom of the conference standings
5. Combined win percentage of conference opponents
6. Higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric (from SportSource Analytics)
7. Draw administered by the ACC commissioner
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Win percentage against common conference opponents
3. Win percentage against the next-highest common opponent in the conference standings; in case of tied teams in standings, use each team’s win percentage against all of those teams
4. Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (strength of conference schedule)
5. Total wins over the 12-game season (only one win against teams from FCS or lower division will be counted)
6. Higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric (from SportSource Analytics)
7. Coin toss
Three-plus team tie: In case of a tie for both conference championship spots, once the tiebreaker identifies one championship game representative, it will start over with the remaining tied teams. When reduced to two tied teams, the two-team tiebreakers will be used.
1. Combined head-to-head among tied teams (if all tied teams are common opponents)
1a. If all tied teams are not common opponents, if any tied team defeated each of the other tied teams
1b. If all tied teams are not common opponents, and no tied team defeated each of the other tied teams, but a tied team lost to each of the other tied teams, that team is eliminated
2. Win percentage against all common opponents
3. Record against next-highest common opponent in conference standings; in case of tied teams in standings, use each team’s win percentage against all of those teams
4. Combined win percentage in conference games of conference opponents (strength of conference schedule)
5. Total wins over the 12-game season (only one win against teams from FCS or lower division will be counted)
6. Higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric (from SportSource Analytics)
7. Coin toss
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Win percentage against common conference opponents
3. Win percentage against common opponents from top-to-bottom of the conference standings (breaking ties among tied teams)
4. Combined conference win percentage of conference opponents
5. Higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric (from SportSource Analytics)
6. Draw administered by the Big Ten commissioner
Three-plus team tie: In case of a tie for both conference championship spots, once the tiebreaker identifies one championship game representative, it will start over with the remaining tied teams. When reduced to two tied teams, the two-team tiebreakers will be used.
1. Combined head-to-head among tied teams
1a. If all tied teams are not common opponents, if any tied team defeated each of the other tied teams
2. Win percentage against all common conference opponents
3. Win percentage against common opponents from top-to-bottom of the conference standings (breaking ties among tied teams)
4. Combined conference win percentage of conference opponents
5. Higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric (from SportSource Analytics)
6. Draw administered by the Big Ten commissioner
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Win percentage against common conference opponents
3. Win percentage against common opponents from top-to-bottom of the conference standings (breaking ties among tied teams: if a two-team tiebreaker will not break a tie, combined records against tied common opponents will be used)
4. Combined conference win percentage of conference opponents
5. Higher relative total scoring margin against all conference opponents (from SportSource Analytics)
6. Random draw
Three-plus team tie: In case of a tie for both conference championship spots, once the tiebreaker identifies one championship game representative, it will start over with the remaining tied teams.
1. Combined head-to-head among tied teams (if all tied teams are common opponents)
1a. If all tied teams are not common opponents, if any tied team defeated each of the other tied teams
1b. If all tied teams are not common opponents, and no tied team defeated each of the other tied teams, but a tied team lost to each of the other tied teams, that team is eliminated
2. Record against all common conference opponents
3. Win percentage against common opponents from top-to-bottom of the conference standings (breaking ties among tied teams; if a two-team tiebreaker will not break a tie, combined records against tied common opponents will be used)
4. Combined conference win percentage of conference opponents
5. Higher relative total scoring margin against all conference opponents (from SportSource Analytics)
6. Random draw
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. If one team is ranked in the latest CFP rankings (and didn’t lose in the final weekend of the regular season)
2a. If one team is ranked in the latest CFP rankings and lost in the final weekend of the regular season, a composite average of selected metrics will be used
2b. If both teams are ranked, the higher-ranked team that didn’t lose in the final weekend of the regular season (if both lose, a composite average of metrics)
2c. If neither team is ranked in the latest CFP rankings, a composite average of selected metrics will be used
3. Win percentage against common conference opponents
4. Overall win percentage (conference and nonconference) excluding exempt games
5. Coin toss
Three-plus team tie: In case of a tie for both conference championship spots, once the tiebreaker identifies one championship game representative, it will start over with the remaining tied teams.
1. Combined head-to-head (if all teams played each other)
1a. If one tied team defeated all other tied teams
2. If the highest-ranked team in the latest CFP rankings that didn’t lose in the final weekend of the regular season
2a. If the highest-ranked team loses in final weekend of regular season, a composite average of selected metrics will be used
2b. If multiple ranked teams in the CFP rankings, the highest ranked team(s) that wins in the final weekend of the regular season
2c. If all ranked teams lose on the final weekend, a composite average of selected metrics will be used
2d. If no teams are ranked in the final CFP rankings, a composite average of selected metrics will be used
3. Win percentage against common conference opponents
4. Overall win percentage (conference and nonconference) excluding exempt games
5. Coin toss
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie and three-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Highest CFP rankings going into the final weekend (if team wins in the final weekend)
3. Highest average ranking of four computer rankings (Connelly SP+, SportSource, ESPN SOR, KPI Rankings)
4. Highest average ranking of two computer rankings (SportSource, KPI Rankings)
5. Highest most recently published multiyear football Academic Progress Rate (if same, most recent year)
6. Draw administered by commissioner’s designee
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Win percentage against common opponents
3. Win percentage against common opponents based on MAC finish (breaking ties) from top-to-bottom of conference
4. Combined conference win percentage of conference opponents
5. Higher ranking by Team Rating Score metric (SportSource Analytics)
6. Draw administered by MAC commissioner
Three-team tie:
1. Combined head-to-head (if all teams played each other)
2. If one tied team defeated all other tied teams
3. Win percentage against all common opponents
4. Win percentage against all common opponents based on finish (with ties broken)
5. Combined conference win percentage of conference opponents
6. Higher ranking by Team Rating Score metric (SportSource Analytics)
7. Draw administered by MAC commissioner
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie:
1. Head-to-head
2. Highest CFP ranking (if team wins in the final weekend)
2a. If only or both CFP ranked teams loses in the final weekend (or if there is no ranked teams), an average of metrics will be used
3. Overall win percentage (conference and nonconference)
4. Record against the next-highest team in the conference standings (tied teams will be lumped together if tied teams played all those teams)
5. Win percentage against common conference opponents
6. Coin toss conducted virtually by the commissioner
Three-plus team tie:
1. Combined head-to-head (if all teams played each other)
2. If one tied team defeated all other tied teams
3. Highest CFP ranking among teams to win in the final weekend
4. Average of selected metrics (if ranked team loses or if no teams ranked)
5. Overall win percentage against all opponents (conference and nonconference); maximum one win against FCS or lower-division team
6. Record against the next-highest team in the conference standings (tied teams will be lumped together if tied teams played all those teams)
7. Win percentage against common conference opponents
8. Drawing conducted virtually by the commissioner
Conference’s tiebreaker policy
Two-team tie
1. Head-to-head
2. Overall win percentage
3. Win percentage against the next-highest team in the division standings (lumping together tied teams)
4. Win percentage against all common nondivisional conference opponents
5. Higher-ranked teams in the CFP rankings (if it wins in the final regular season week); if the highest-ranked team loses, an average of selected computer rankings (Anderson & Hester, Massey, Colley and Wolfe)
6. If no team is ranked in the CFP rankings, an average of selected computer rankings (Anderson & Hester, Massey, Colley and Wolfe)
7. Overall win percentage (conference and nonconference) against FBS teams
8. Coin toss
Three-plus team tie: (Teams will not revert to two-team tiebreaker once three-plus team tiebreaker is trimmed to two.)
1. Combined head-to-head
2. Divisional win percentage
3. Win percentage against the next-highest team in the division standings (lumping together tied teams)
4. Highest-ranked team in the CFP rankings (if they win in the final weekend of regular season); if that team loses, an average of selected computer rankings
5. If no team is ranked in the CFP rankings, an average of selected computer rankings (Anderson & Hester, Massey, Colley and Wolfe)
6. Overall win percentage (conference and nonconference) against FBS teams
7. Draw lots (conducted by commissioner)
Check out the ESPN college football hub page for the latest news, analysis, schedules, rankings and more.
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO — Juan Soto will take his time surveying the free agent market before signing with a team, according to his agent Scott Boras.
Speaking at the general manager’s meetings Wednesday, Boras indicated that Soto desires a “thorough” vetting before making a decision.
“Due to the volume of interest and Juan’s desire to hear [from teams], I can’t put a timeframe on it, but it’s going to be a very thorough process for him,” Boras said. “He wants to meet people personally. He wants to talk with them. He wants to hear from them.”
That includes ownership, even for the New York Yankees, for whom he played in 2024 and hit 41 home runs with a league-leading 128 runs scored. Soto helped New York to a World Series appearance, but that doesn’t necessarily give the Yankees a leg up on the competition to sign him.
“He wants ownership that’s going to support that they are going win annually,” Boras said. “Owners want to meet with Juan and sit down and talk with him about what they’re going to provide for their franchise short term and long term.”
Soto’s overall deal is likely to be at least the second largest in MLB history behind Shohei Ohtani‘s 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Boras refused to compare the two players, but stressed Soto’s age (26) as a distinctive factor in teams’ pursuit of his client. Ohtani was 29 when he hit free agency.
“I don’t think Ohtani has much to do with Juan Soto at all,” Boras said. “It’s not something we discuss or consider. … He’s in an age category that separates him.”
Both New York teams have spoken to Boras already, though there are a handful of other big-market franchises that could be in play for his services, including the San Francisco Giants and Toronto Blue Jays.
Boras was asked how the competitive balance tax on payrolls could impact Soto’s free agency.
“I don’t think tax considerations are the focal point when you’re talking about a business opportunity where you can make literally billions of dollars by acquiring somebody like this,” Boras said.
Boras and Soto are only at the beginning stages of what could be a drawn-out process. One thing going for the player, in Boras’ estimation, is that Soto is “pretty well known” considering he has already been on three teams and played in 43 playoff games, including twice in the World Series.
In his agent’s eyes, every winning team should be interested.
“They’re [team executives] called upon to be championship magicians,” Boras said. “Behind every great magician is the magic Juan.”
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Jesse Rogers, ESPN Staff Writer
SAN ANTONIO — Free agent pitcher Kyle Hendricks has agreed to a one year, $2.5 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN.
Hendricks, 34, posted a 5.92 ERA for the Chicago Cubs last season but was better in the second half after a stint in the bullpen. His ERA was 4.41 from mid-July to the end of the regular season. He threw 7⅓ shutout innings in his last start as a Cub in late September after spending the first 11 years of his career with Chicago.
The Angels are hoping Hendricks finds more consistency in 2025, similar to what he displayed at times late in 2024. They also have a young pitching staff that needs mentoring. Hendricks can help in that department as well.
Hendricks won the ERA title in 2016, helping the Cubs to a World Series title. He was the last member of that team still playing for the Cubs until he became a free agent after the 2024 season. Overall, he’s 97-81 with a 3.68 ERA.
Hendricks is from the Los Angeles area, having gone to Capistrano Valley High School in Mission Viejo, California. He was originally drafted by the Angels in the 39th round in 2008 before attending Dartmouth. Additionally, his dad worked in the Angels’ ticket office for six years when Hendricks was a teenager.
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