In terms of exposure for recruiting purposes, appearing in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl is ideal for the Navy football program.
Texas in general, and the Dallas-Fort Worth area in particular, have long provided fertile recruiting turf for the Midshipmen.
Navy has 25 players on its current roster that hail from Texas, by far the most of any state. California and Tennessee, with 17 players apiece, are a distant second.
"High school football is huge in Texas and there are a lot of good players here. We recognize that as a program and try to recruit here hard," Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.