'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
Still digesting his team's 1-3 start, Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo stepped onto a practice field just a short walk from the banks of the Severn River in early October.
Travis Bridges sat in an offensive line meeting in March, unaware that the latest unforeseen twist in his young life was about to unfold.
Navy safety Kwesi Mitchell knew defensive coordinator Buddy Green was coaching from the press box Saturday. It didn't mean he wasn't a little startled every time he looked to the sideline and didn't see the veteran coach there.
The parade of high-profile college coaches zipped in and out of the Brentwood Academy in suburban Nashville in 2007. Most came to see Chris Jordan, a running back who would eventually land at Alabama.
Nate Frazier played in three games for Navy last season, seeing mop-up duty in blowouts against Stanford, Duke and Eastern Michigan.
"I didn't know where he would rate in college, but it took me about three plays on his high school tape to know that we wanted him," defensive line coach Dale Pehrson said.
"He's the best one I ever coached here," said Pehrson, who is in his 16th year at Navy. "There's no doubt about that."
