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Who is Drew Cronic? What to know about Navy offensive coordinator

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17 hours ago

December 29, 2024

Who is Drew Cronic? What to know about Navy offensive coordinator

When Navy soccer coach Brian Newberry introduced a change at offensive coordinator after the 2023 school soccer season, the Midshipmen’s coach was on the lookout for a brand new voice and spark for his offense.

He appears to have discovered one in first-year offensive coordinator Drew Cronic.

Cronic — a school soccer journeyman, who has served in varied roles all through all ranges of faculty soccer — had the Midshipmen’s offense firing on all cylinders in Navy’s 31-13 win within the Military-Navy Sport. He is turn out to be one of many extra talked-up assistant coach names throughout the sport as followers and media look to fill vacant positions — current and future (which, in hindsight, exhibits Newberry’s rent was a powerful one).

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On Friday, Cronic will attempt to information the Navy offense led by quarterback Blake Horvath to a different feat that hasn’t been met in recent times: a bowl recreation win. The Midshipmen (9-3) are set to tackle Oklahoma (6-6) at midday ET Friday within the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Price, Texas — their first bowl recreation because the 2019 season.

This is what it’s essential find out about Cronic:

Who’s Drew Cronic?

Cronic is the first-year offensive coordinator at Navy and one of many high offensive and revolutionary minds in school soccer.

He joined Newberry’s employees final offseason after 4 seasons serving as the top coach at FCS-level Mercer. He performed collegiately at Georgia, the place he hung out at large receiver and on particular groups. He was a part of the Bulldogs’ 1995 Peach Bowl and 1997 Outback Bowl groups.

After one season as a graduate assistant at West Georgia, Cronic began his teaching profession in full in 1999 as an assistant coach at James Madison, the place he helped the Dukes to an Atlantic 10 championship and FCS playoff berth in his first season as a receivers coach. He then spent the primary of two stints at Furman from 2002-2010.

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After three seasons as an assistant at Reinhardt, Cronic was named the varsity’s head coach going into the 2015 season. A nine-win first season for the Eagles below Cronic was adopted up with a program-record 13-1 season, Mid-South Convention championship and an look within the NAIA nationwide quarterfinals. He’d return to Furman as OC for the 2017 season earlier than taking the top teaching job at Lenoir-Rhyne in 2018.

In 2020, Cronic jumped to Mercer as head coach.

In his eight mixed seasons as a head coach, Cronic holds a .765 successful share (75-23 file).

Cronic’s first season in Annapolis has been a profitable one, highlighted by Horvath’s huge day in opposition to Military. Cronic was a nominee for the Broyles Award, given to the highest assistant coach in school soccer.

When was Drew Cronic employed at Navy?

Cronic was employed at Navy on Jan. 10 because the Midshipmen’s offensive coordinator and successor to Grant Chesnut.

“I could not be extra excited to welcome Drew and his household to Navy,” Newberry stated in an announcement on the time. “Coach Cronic is an excellent particular person and one of the vital nicely revered, artistic and revolutionary coaches within the enterprise. He is had nice success as an offensive coordinator and as a head coach in every single place he is been…”

Why did Drew Cronic depart Mercer?

Cronic resigned as Mercer’s head coach on Jan. 9 to take the vacant offensive coordinator place at Navy — his first FBS teaching alternative.

In his 4 seasons at Mercer, Cronic led the Bears to twenty-eight victories. His greatest season at Mercer got here in 2023 when the Bears went 9-4 general and earned their first berth to the FCS playoffs. The Bears, who defeated Gardner-Webb within the first spherical, completed No. 20 within the AFCA Coaches Ballot in 2023 whereas setting this system file for many wins in a season.

“To begin with, I feel the world of Coach Newberry. Once you go work for any person else, particularly after you’ve got been a head coach for some time, there must be a substantial amount of respect there and a substantial amount of admiration for a way he does issues,” Cronic instructed Navy Sports activities’ Luke Slabaugh in an interview.

“Suppose he and I are very related. He is a household man, cares in regards to the gamers, cares about his coaches and it is greater than soccer for him, which is strictly how I need issues to do. Got here up right here and visited with him and it simply match. That is such an important custom right here.”

He stated the chance of working with the gamers that Navy brings in annually — highschool gamers — drew him to the job. The switch portal for the three navy academies — Military, Navy and Air Drive — is totally different than the remainder of school sports activities.

“If you find yourself a service academy, you are signing highschool gamers and also you’re growing younger males. You are not coping with the switch portal, you are not coping with a number of the different nonsense that is occurring in school soccer proper now. That was very intriguing about this chance.”