Given the requirement that attending the service academies entail, I was wondering who is the biggest recruit in their program histories. Would be curious to hear anyone’s insight!
For the Naval Academy, I would think it would have to be Tom Popp (1st Team All-American at Bellarmine). He was also heavily recruited by Stanford.
The service academies deserve a ton of credit in our sport as they are the most geographically diverse in terms of states represented on the roster, are not allowed to have any 5th years players even with Covid, no grad transfers, and no international players. Not to mention the difficult requirements for entry, responsibilities while attending, and post-graduate service requirements.
The Service Academies are “set for life” schools if you’re able to attend. I don’t know a single Academy graduate who’s struggling in life. No debt, practical experience in a chosen field, and free graduate school should one extend their service obligation.
Outside of athletes who have realistic professional aspirations in the “Big 4” North American sports, there’s no better lifetime opportunities than those available to athletes continuing their playing careers at the service academies.