Spring practice is rarely conclusive, and when he met with the media on Monday, Brian Newberry didn’t pretend otherwise. But while there are still questions to be answered, Navy’s head coach liked the steady progress he saw from his team in his third spring practice at the helm.

“I was really pleased and excited just about the overall body of work,” he said. “We talk about stacking days around here, one brick at a time, and I thought our guys did a great job of that this spring.”

The emphasis on stacking days is about more than setting a mindset or team culture. There are practical benefits. Newberry’s goal for spring practice was to develop depth and flexibility across the roster, and day-to-day consistency and competition are vital to that process. He feels like the team made progress on both fronts.

“We’ve got more guys that are capable of helping us win games,” Newberry said. “And that’s huge.”

Several veterans were sidelined this spring, either due to injury or by design, which gave younger players a chance to take meaningful reps. Already knowing what established starters can do allowed the coaches to accelerate the development of depth across several positions.

The most urgent need for that development is on the offensive line. Three starters are gone, and the two most experienced returners, Ben Purvis and Hoke Smith, were sidelined for most of the spring. That created more reps for players like Cam Nichols, Connor Heater, and Sean Crowley.

“The silver lining with Ben and Hoke being out was the amount of reps a lot of those young players got,” Newberry said. “Cam played some center for us and handled it really, really well. He’s a guy that’ll play both those spots, a utility guy.”

Newberry stopped short of declaring the line ready, but he did say he’s “sleeping a little better at night now than I was before spring ball” because of how the younger guys performed.

The secondary faced a similar transition, particularly at safety, where Navy must replace both Rayuan Lane and Mbiti Williams. Newberry acknowledged the challenge but sounded more optimistic than uncertain.

“Big shoes to fill at safety,” he said, “but I think we’re going to be able to do that well. I like that room. I like that we’ve got options.”

Among the players Newberry mentioned were Aaron Rose, Seth English, and Giuseppe Sessi.

“Aaron Rose has played a lot of football for us and had a really good spring,” he said. Seth English is working his way back from an ACL injury but fits the mold Newberry likes. “He’s got a chance to be a really good player, a big, long safety that can run.” Sessi was also singled out. “I thought Sessi had an outstanding spring,” Newberry said. “He’s really, really smart, really tough.”

Newberry’s confidence in the cornerbacks may also benefit the safeties. Ira Oniha had already established himself as a regular contributor; Newberry called him “probably our best cover corner last year” despite being hampered by a hamstring injury. Bryce Allen gained experience in 2024 after appearing in nine games. Those two, plus the emergence of Justin Ross this spring, have made cornerback one of the deeper positions on the team.

“Justin Ross is another guy I’m really excited about. He’s a 6-2, 190-pound, long, fast, athletic corner,” Newberry said. “He’s just getting better and better. He’s got a chance to be really special.”

That depth has opened the door for Andrew Duhart, a returning starter at corner, to cross-train at safety. It’s a move that has paid off before; Mbiti Williams made the same switch earlier in his career. Whether Duhart follows that path full-time is still to be determined, but the benefits are clear. Putting a player with his experience on the back end gives the defense added flexibility and a leader who can help get the unit lined up correctly.

“He’s going to be a utility knife for us a little bit,” Newberry said. “He can do a lot of things. He’s super smart. He’s got the experience.”

That approach to building depth and flexibility applies to tight end as well, a position that hasn’t been a consistent feature in Annapolis but may play a larger role moving forward. Cody Howard was limited this spring as a precaution, but tight ends coach Jon Williams said his value went well beyond live reps.

“Spring is mostly for finding out what guys can do and what they can’t,” Williams said. “I know what we’re going to get out of Cody. The good thing about having him this spring was just the leadership he’s provided for that young group that’s coming up, and to me, that’s more important than any snaps he could’ve gotten.”

Behind Howard, Jake Norris continued to build on a solid 2024. “He just got better and better,” Williams said. “From a toughness standpoint, he’s exactly what we look for here at the Naval Academy. He’s one of the most unselfish guys on the team.”

Norris doesn’t fit the prototypical mold for the position, but he’s hard-nosed and has done everything asked of him. “His dominant trait is he’s available and he’s durable,” Williams said. “He knows the difference between being injured and being hurt.”

The group also includes younger players like Will Miles and Theo Elwell, both of whom have started to emerge. “Will is good in both areas. He catches the ball well and he’s a really good blocker,” Williams said. “Theo has the potential to be a special receiver, but right now we’re working on his pad level and run blocking.” Neither is a finished product, but Williams sees long-term potential. “That room is getting better,” he said. “I think the ceiling is really high.”

The spring also gave the staff a closer look at the wide receiver group, which was thin at times due to injuries and Nathan Kent’s track commitments. A few players made the most of their increased opportunities.

The most consistent presence was Luke Hutchison, who continues to settle into the position after switching from quarterback. “It’s been great working with Luke,” receivers coach Mick Yokitis said. “He’s learning how to play wide receiver. He comes to work every day, grinds his butt off, and he’s taken some really good steps in the right direction.”

Hutchison still has room to grow, but Yokitis said his confidence is finally starting to click. “His improvement from last year at this time to now is astronomical. Right now, if we had to play a game, he would start.”

Casey Smith was another spring riser, capitalizing on the extra reps to move up the depth chart.

“He started pretty low, and right now he’s behind Hutch,” Yokitis said. “To his credit, he worked his butt off. We told him what he needed to improve over the offseason, and he went and did it.” Smith may not be the fastest receiver on the roster, but he’s reliable and has earned praise for his hands and route discipline. “He’s made some plays this spring. Just hasn’t said a word, shows up, works, and does what we want in our room.”

Kent, the most experienced returner, has been limited due to his commitments with track and the special warfare community. But Yokitis didn’t mince words about Kent’s potential and ability to get back on track in the fall. “That kid’s special,” he said. “I don’t know if I’ve been around one like him my entire career. He’ll be behind, but he’ll find a way.”

The overall theme for the unit this spring has been gaining the trust of the quarterbacks and the coaches as on-field weapons.

“The most important thing is, does the quarterback trust you? Do your coaches trust you?” Yokitis said. “That’s what we’re trying to build with Blake [Horvath] and with Coach Cronic. Because we want to get to the point where they’re not just tagging Z to get Eli [Heidenreich] the ball, they’re tagging X to get it to us.”

Much of that trust was being built with Braxton Woodson, who saw significant reps this spring alongside returning starter Horvath.

“Braxton was playing really, really well,” Newberry said. “He continues to grow and develop, and he’s a guy we’re excited about.” Woodson missed time at the end of camp with a shoulder issue, but his early performance left a strong impression.

Tre Jones also earned praise for his development, and while Jackson Gutierrez was sidelined until the end of spring, Newberry liked the overall depth in the room.

“We certainly have more depth at quarterback than we’ve had,” he said. “And that’s important.”

As for Horvath, the coaching staff is looking to give him more control of the offense this fall. Newberry hinted that even more could be added to the playbook to take advantage of how well Horvath understands Cronic’s scheme.

“He’s got such a great grasp on what we’re doing offensively,” Newberry said. “He understands what all 11 guys are doing. He puts us in the best possible plays. The next step is figuring out how much we can put on his plate.”

Newberry made a point to say there’s still work to be done. But consistency and added depth across the roster this spring gives the program a foundation it didn’t have a year ago.

“We certainly made progress,” Newberry said. “We’ve got a ways to go, but we’re ahead of where we were last spring.”

In other words, spring practice was another step. One of many, stacked.