After two seasons of competition in the American Athletic Conference, Navy made a significant change in its defensive structure.
Most of the teams in the AAC employ high-powered passing offenses featuring four receiver sets. Navy’s outside linebacker constantly had to cover a speedy slot receiver, usually resulting in a mismatch.
Head coach Ken Niumatalolo and defensive coordinator Dale Pehrson decided to go in a different direction following the 2016 campaign. They felt the outside linebacker spot known as “striker” needed to be filled by a player with strong coverage skills. They also altered the job description of the position and devised schemes to make it more of a defensive weapon.