Brian Newberry received the lion’s share of credit for Navy’s dramatic defensive improvement, and deservedly so.
Newberry took over as defensive coordinator and installed a new, unpredictable system that confounded most opponents, and as a result Navy finished the 2019 season ranked 16th in total defense and No. 34 in scoring defense. In 2018, the Midshipmen finished near the bottom of the 130-team Football Bowl Subdivision in both categories.
Brian Norwood, another newcomer last season who held the title of co-defensive coordinator, also brought immeasurable experience as a 29-year veteran of collegiate coaching. So, it came as somewhat of a surprise when Norwood, a former defensive coordinator at Baylor, Tulsa and Kansas State who had a long-term relationship with coach Ken Niumatalolo, left Navy after just one season to become assistant head coach, passing coordinator and defensive backs coach at UCLA.