For the second straight spring, Navy football was thin at the wide receiver. Position coach Mick Yokitis said there was one point during spring camp when only three split ends dressed for practice.
Returning starter Nathan Kent is with the Navy track and field team, while several other split ends have missed most of spring drills with injuries.
“Some days you go out there and say ‘Boys, this is all we got?’ To their credit, the guys that have been healthy and available have stepped up and taken extra reps and haven’t said a word,” Yokitis said. “I know they’re hurting, I know they’re tired, but they’re tough kids.”
As the old adage goes, the best ability is availability. Rising junior Casey Smith was healthy all spring, got a ton of practice repetitions as a result and made a giant leap up the depth chart. The Annapolis resident was running with the second team for most of camp and impressed.
Head coach Brian Newberry said Smith was a candidate for the Admiral Mack Award that is presented to Navy’s most improved player during spring practice. Yokitis said the St. Mary’s High graduate has shown he can be a contributor in 2025.
“The biggest surprise of the spring has been Casey Smith. He started pretty low and has climbed the depth chart,” Yokitis said. “Some guys got hurt and Casey took the opportunity and ran with it.”
Smith has a big frame at 6-foot-4 and has added 15 pounds of muscle since the end of plebe summer. Yokitis envisions him filling the role filled the past couple seasons by graduating senior Regis Velez as a bigger bodied wideout that can do the dirty work of blocking. That’s not to say that Smith is one-dimensional.
“Casey is not the fastest guy we have, but he’s finding ways to get open because he’s been sharp with his route-running and footwork. He has great hands and is a reliable pass-catcher. He’s made some plays this spring.”
Smith is the son of one of the finest lacrosse players in St. Mary’s High history. Andy Smith, a 1980 graduate, played at North Carolina and earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as a midfielder.
Casey Smith always envisioned following in his father’s footsteps as a Division I lacrosse player. He was a three-sport athlete in high school, earning All-MIAA B Conference recognition and honorable mention All-County from Capital Gazette.
It was former Navy assistant Ashley Ingram, now head coach at Carson-Newman, who saw something in Smith he didn’t even see in himself. St. Mary’s coach Jason Budroni helped convince the youngster he could play college football after Navy offered the opportunity one week before national signing day.
“Coach Ingram kept pushing for me and I owe my offer totally to him,” Smith said. “I thought it was a message from God to be given this opportunity so I took it.”
Smith did not play lacrosse as a senior in order to focus on football, doing skill work along with strength and conditioning.
After serving as a member of the scout team as a freshman and sophomore, Smith felt he was finally ready to push for a spot on the depth chart this spring. He praised Jim Kiritsy and the rest of the strength and conditioning staff for preparing him physically.
“This is the first time I’ve felt really healthy since I’ve been here, which gives me a lot of confidence. As a rising junior, I feel more comfortable and have more experience. I’ve also gotten a lot stronger and faster,” Smith said.
Smith praised the tutelage of Yokitis, a former Navy wide receiver now in his 14th season coaching the position.
“I’ve learned to play the role I need to play. I know that I need to be more of a blocker, more physical,” Smith said. “I just trusted the process, trusted the coaches and trusted in myself. I’ve gotten to the point that I’ll be able to help the team this season.”
Smith excelled as a blocker during spring camp and also performed well as a pass-catcher, beating defenders one-on-one and winning jump balls.
“I’ve shown that I can make some plays. I also think I’ve proved that I know the offense really well and will be where I’m supposed to be and do what I’m supposed to do,” he said.
Hutchison headlines the group
With Kent excelling as a sprinter with the track and field team, Luke Hutchison sat atop the depth chart throughout spring practice and gained valuable experience. The 6-foot, 190-pound speedster was moved from quarterback to split end at the very end of 2024 spring camp and still had a lot to learn.
Hutchison appeared in 13 games last season as a member of special teams and backup behind Kent. The Round Rock, Texas, native had four catches for 28 yards, modest numbers that must improve.
“Hutch has taken some really big steps in the right direction. He’s still learning how to play wide receiver and it’s taken some time, but he understands what we’re trying to do now,” Yokitis said. “His improvement from last year at this time has been astronomical and I think he still has a long way to go. The sky’s the limit for the kid because he’s so talented.”
Kent is a world-class sprinter who reached the semifinals of the United States Olympic Trials. However, Hutchison has clocked a faster speed (22.3 mph) on the Catapult machine than Kent.
“We go back-and-forth about who is the faster guy. I tell Nate he just has track speed,” Hutchison said with a smile. “We definitely have two guys who can take the top of defenses with our speed.”
Hutchison admits he never really felt comfortable and confident at wide receiver last season. He watched video clips with Yokitis during the offseason and realized “I left a lot out there on the field.” He has spent spring camp working hard to improve technically as a route-runner — focusing on the fundamentals of releasing off the line of scrimmage, making fluid cuts, reaching full speed at the top of the route and coming out of breaks.
“It’s been great to have a whole spring at receiver. I’ve learned so much in a year and now I’m trying to showcase that. It’s just a matter of settling into the position because I feel as though I have the athletic tools to do the position,” Hutchison said. “Just trusting my abilities because I have the speed and I have the athleticism.”
Offensive coordinator Drew Cronic’s version of Wing-T offense incorporates a lot of run-pass option and even pro-style passing elements. Navy has far more short and intermediate pass routes than in the past and Yokitis said the offensive schemes routinely produce wide-open receivers.
Last season, the Midshipmen got a total of 14 receptions for 250 yards and two touchdowns out of the wide receiver position with Kent providing most of that production. Yokitis acknowledged those numbers “absolutely do have to increase” and said that has been a major talking point among the offensive staff.
Cronic’s offense created 1,000-yard receivers at Mercer and other schools. Last season, snipe Eli Heidenreich was the primary target and totaled 39 receptions for 671 yards and six touchdowns. Snipe Brandon Chatman (18 for 257, four touchdowns) and fullback Alex Tecza (12 for 229, 2) ranked second and third in receiving.
Heidenreich often lined up as the “Z” receiver and Yokitis said pass plays designed to go his way could easily have been thrown to the X receiver instead. He believes opposing pass defenses will be primarily focused on the two snipes next season, which in theory should open opportunities for the split ends.
“It’s about getting the quarterbacks to trust us and getting Coach Cronic to trust us. We’ve got to get to the point where Coach Cronic says let’s get the ball to these X receivers,” Yokitis said.
Because of how well Navy runs the ball and the diversity of its Wing-T attack, the wide receivers are almost always going to get one-on-one coverage. Yokitis said his troops need to exploit that by beating cornerbacks on slant routes and turning short catches into long gains.
“That’s been our No. 1 goal — to be more productive; It’s about building that trust, not just with Blake and Braxton, but with the offensive coordinator as well,” Hutchison said. “We need to be a reliable position to where now we’re a real asset to the team. We want to be an explosive threat out on the edge. I think we’ve really taken a huge step forward in that department.”
Rising juniors Kendall Evans (6-4, 210) and Joshua Guerin were injured for most of spring drills and Yokitis said he has not seen enough of either to make a full evaluation of their abilities.
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