Who is Navy QB? What to know of Blake Horvath ahead of Notre Dame matchup
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Navy quarterback Blake Horvath may not be the biggest name in college football, but he’s a huge reason for the Midshipmen‘s success the last two seasons.
Horvath, in his second season as the starter, is looking to give Navy a huge boost to its College Football Playoff resume when it faces Notre Dame on Saturday, Nov. 8. The Midshipmen are coming off a 31-17 road loss to fellow American team North Texas, which ended their unbeaten 7-0 start to the season.
Navy is going to lean heavily on the senior quarterback, as it does nearly every game, against the Fighting Irish. Horvath can do more than just operate the run-heavy scheme, however, passing for 1,143 yards with seven touchdowns to five interceptions this season. He also has 926 rushing yards and 13 scores on 138 carries.
Here’s what to know of Navy’s quarterback ahead of the historic rivalry between the Midshipmen and Notre Dame.
Who is Blake Horvath?
Horvath proved he can compete against top-tier talent in college football last season when Navy took on Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Sure, the Sooners were shorthanded due to the transfer portal and amid a down season by their lofty standards. But the historic program easily has more resources and players available to choose from each year.
Against the Sooners, Horvath completed 7 of 12 passes for 92 yards while rushing 18 times for 155 yards and two scores in a 21-20 win. He also broke free for a 95-yard rushing touchdown, a Navy football record, and led a comeback after being down 14-0. It was Navy’s first win over an SEC program since 1955.
It’s also worth noting that, as a service academy player, Horvath is unable to profit off their name, image and likeness.
“It’s funny sometimes to look around and be like, ‘Wow, that guy’s getting $6 million, that guy’s getting $4 million,” Horvath said at American Conference media days in July.
The senior from Hilliard, Ohio, had FBS offers from mostly MAC programs, although at different positions than quarterback. He chose Navy, the lone school to offer him at the position, due to his experience in a triple-option offense at Hilliard Darby High School.
“It was a clone, at the time, of Navy’s offense,” former Hilliard Darby coach John Santagata told the USA TODAY Network.
Horvath played sparingly his first two seasons at Navy, but broke out in 2024, which coincided with first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic joining the program. Horvath passed for 1,353 yards with 13 touchdowns to four interceptions and rushed for 1,254 yards with 17 touchdowns.
He was dominant in Navy’s 56-44 upset win over Memphis in 2024, passing for 192 yards with two touchdowns while rushing for 211 yards and four scores on only 12 carries. It was his breakout performance before leading the Midshipmen to their first 10-win season since 2019.
Horvath was also recently named one of 16 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which is the premier scholar-athlete award in college football. He finished his junior year with a 4.0 grade-point average, an overall mark of 3.69 as an operations research major and is hoping to become a pilot after graduation.
But first, he’s also looking to lead Navy to back-to-back wins over Army for the first time since 2014-15, while also aiming to win his second Commander’s-in-Chief Trophy as Navy’s starter.
“That’s our No. 1 goal every year, is to beat Air Force and to beat Army” Horvath said Nov. 5 on The Heisman Trophy Podcast. “The seriousness of that trophy and that opportunity for us, it can’t be overstated.”
Blake Horvath stats
Here are Horvath’s year-by-year stats in college:
- 2023: 6 of 12 passing for 84 yards with two touchdowns; 37 carries for 183 yards
- 2024: 80 of 139 passing for 1,353 yards with 13 touchdowns to four interceptions; 176 carries for 1,254 yards with 17 touchdowns
- 2025: 68 of 107 passing for 1,143 yards with seven touchdowns to five interceptions; 138 carries for 926 yards with 13 touchdowns
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Blake Horvath? What to know of Navy QB vs Notre Dame football
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