Only a couple of days to go before Navy Football take the field of the Aviva Stadium, led by their new Head Coach Brian Newberry.

Getting to know Brian Newberry:

  • Brian Newberry was appointed as the new head coach of the Naval Academy on December 19, 2022, making Newberry the 40th Head Football Coach in school history.
  • The 2023 football season will be Coach Newberry’s first season as Head Coach of Navy Football.
  • Newberry’s first game in charge will be against Notre Dame in the 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland on August 26th.

Playing career: 

Newberry played his college football for the Baylor Bears, located in Waco, Texas, and graduated from Baylor University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science in education. Defense has always been a passion of Newberry’s, in college he played defensive back (DB) for the Baylor Bears. Newberry was part of the Baylor defense that was ranked No.5 nationally in total defense in the 1995 season. 

Coaching background: 

Brian Newberry’s coaching career began with Southern Arkansas, where he was a graduate assistant managing the defensive backs (DB) and wide receivers (WR) for the 1999 and 2000 season. Newberry had assistant coaching spells at Lehigh, Rice, Washington & Lee and Elon. In 2004,  a new school record of 43 sacks (when the defense tackles the quarterback) was set by Newberry’s Washington and Lee defense. 

It didn’t take long before Newberry gained attention from other schools as he advanced to defensive coordinator with Northern Michigan and the University of South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Newberry continued to produce results, particularly on defense, as the Sewanee Tigers improved their scoring defense by 16 points and total defense by 85 yards.

Prior to joining Navy’s coaching staff, Newberry served as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach for Kennesaw State from 2015-2018. Newberry saw his greatest success with Kennesaw State in his final two seasons as the team reached back-to-back FCS quarterfinals. 

The 2018 Kennesaw State defense was ranked as the No.1 defense in preventing first downs and was ranked the No.2 total defense in the FCS. During Newberry’s final two years in charge, the Kennesaw State defense forced 56 turnovers, including 37 interceptions.

Newberry was appointed the role of defensive coordinator in 2019 and completely transformed Navy’s defense. In his first year in charge, Newberry was a semi-finalist for the Broyles Award, which is presented to the top assistant coach in the nation. 

2022 season achievements:

  • In 2022, Navy’s defense was a force to be reckoned with, especially against the run, ranking third nationally in allowing the fewest first-downs to opponents.
  • On offense, Navy finished sixth in the country in rushing offense (running plays), led by fullback Daba Fofana, who rushed for over 700 yards and six touchdowns in 2022. 
  • Five Midshipmen were named to Phil Steele's All-American Athletic Conference (ACC) teams (recognised as some of the best players in the ACC division). 

‘Coach Newberry’s time is now’ 

“The span of his experience at a number of institutions, coupled with four years in Annapolis, has allowed him to create a vision for Navy Football that is all encompassing and very logical as it pertains to the way ahead. Often there comes a time in the careers of highly-accomplished coaches in our profession when documented credibility aligns with logical leadership opportunity, and Coach Newberry’s time is now,” Navy’s Athletic Director Chet Gladchuk said. 

"It’s a great honor and privilege to lead this program,'' Newberry said. "I could not be more excited and optimistic about the future of Navy Football."

We wish Coach Newberry and Navy Football the very best of luck in the 2023 Aer Lingus College Football Classic!

The official Aer Lingus College Football Classic App is now available to download at: https://collegefootballireland.com/app/