Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds had his number 19 retired by the program over the weekend. The Heisman candidate received the prestigious honor Sunday at Navy's football banquet according to the Navy Athletics twitter account. Reynolds became a dominant runner and deceptively efficient passer at Navy. He set the all-time, college football career FBS rushing touchdown record with 88 to go along with his 4,559 career rushing yards.
Reynolds Can Do More Than Run
However, Reynolds showed he could pass the ball as well despite only attempting 462 career passes. He threw for 4,002 yards, an all-time, Navy-career-best 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions in his career. Now, the yardage and touchdowns are obviously low for this spread-obsessed era of college football. But, the eight career interceptions are what sticks out most. He kept the ball out of the defenses hands and understood the importance of protecting the ball in an option offense. It's the biggest reason he went 34-16 in his career. The guy knows how to win despite playing at a disadvantaged school. The team doesn't get the same type of athlete as other Division I's because they make their players commit to service after graduation. It makes his accomplishments that much more impressive.
Four Bowl Games in Four Years
He didn't just set loads of individual marks. He led the Midshipmen to a bowl game in each of his four seasons under center, including three bowl wins. Reynolds saved his best for last. After 121 years of independent Division I football, the Naval Academy joined a conference. The Naval Academy joined the best mid-major conference in the nation, the American Athletic Conference. All Reynolds did is lead Navy to a program best 11 wins in 2015. He took a program with an illustrious century long history including a national championship and Heisman Trophy winner, and took it even further. Keenan Reynolds definitely deserves the honor of having his number retired
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(Video Courtesy of Johnathan Gasparoni)