Navy 2025

[youthathletics]

I believe that Navy needs an OC that will expose the defense every single day in practice, to the point Amply and Orsen are visibly arguing with one another regularly while the OC just smiles in the huddle with their players. I also think that OC should come in with some sweat in the game...meaning, maybe an AC position if they get the 1 seed and play in the Patriot League Finals within 2 years.

I firmly believe they should also receive an incentive that keeps them on the yard for a minimum of 4-5 years. Our MIDS have not had the benefit of the same OC for their 4 years on the yard, dating back 10+ years....that is rather disappointing to those young men and weighs heavily on our underperforming.

So, who should Navy hire as the next OC or would you prefer a completely new staff?

[EasyRider]

So, who should Navy hire as the next OC or would you prefer a completely new staff?

Agnostic to the second half of this question, but assuming Amplo sticks around I think it's likely Andrew Stimmel will be on his shortlist. Joe's a loyalty guy and the two had a strong 2016 season together at Marquette. Stimmel had a very strong two seasons as OC at Yale (although it didn't hurt have Ben Reeves / Jackson Morrill).

[FMUBart]

What exactly is Blake Miller's role on the staff

[Abr2016]

What exactly is Blake Miller's role on the staff

He is the 3rd assistant. Helps with the offense I believe.

[gymman1031]

Lots of new faces next year. But one thing to remember is that many of them will be Amplo's recruits.

[AreaLax]

Cottle officially steps down

Head coach Joe Amplo has advertised the position as open and hopes to hire a new offensive coordinator by mid-June at the latest.

https://x.com/bwagner_capgaz/status/178 ... EO2hFStaxg

[Abr2016]

I feel like 2025 is going to be an important year. Need to see some momentum in the right direction. That hasn’t happened yet. I am not sure if the seat is warm or not, but I wonder if that could influence a potential OC wanting to be here? Might be too risky to leave a nice job. We may have to look at up and comers.

[old salt]

Cottle officially steps down

Head coach Joe Amplo has advertised the position as open and hopes to hire a new offensive coordinator by mid-June at the latest.

https://x.com/bwagner_capgaz/status/178 ... EO2hFStaxg

Thank You Coach Cottle ! Excerpt from the linked article.

When Dave Cottle was hired as Navy men’s lacrosse offensive coordinator, it was assumed he was a stopgap for one season.
Cottle said as much, telling The Capital in January, “I’ve agreed to give [Navy lacrosse] six months of my life.” However, Navy coach Joe Amplo never ruled out the possibility Cottle’s tenure in Annapolis could last beyond the 2024 campaign.
It turns out that Cottle was indeed one and done.
On Wednesday, Amplo confirmed to The Capital that Cottle will depart the program at the end of this month and that Navy is seeking its next offensive coordinator.
“I’m very appreciative of Coach Cottle stepping in and doing an outstanding job this season,” Amplo said. “From a personal standpoint, it was very rewarding to watch one of the all-time great coaches in the history of our sport do it in an old-school way.”

Amplo was put in a bind when he lost offensive coordinator Michael Phipps to Maryland less than one month before preseason practice began. The fifth-year coach was reluctant to poach an assistant away from another program at such a late juncture and found a surprising solution to that dilemma when Cottle offered to fill the vacancy for this season.
It was an unexpected hire since the 68-year-old Cottle was retired and living in Boca Raton, Florida. He had been out of the college game for 14 years since resigning as Maryland’s coach after the 2010 season.

Additionally, Cottle was recovering from a spinal fusion back surgery that slowed him somewhat physically. For most of this season, simply walking was uncomfortable (and often painful), so standing on the practice field for two hours or more each day was a challenge.
However, Cottle was all-in from the outset and religiously worked from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. throughout the season.
“I tell you what, Dave handled the daily grind better than I thought he would, although he probably didn’t let on about how much he was hurting physically,” Amplo said.
Cottle acknowledged Wednesday that an entire season of college lacrosse at his age is grueling, not just physically. A mental toll comes with the responsibility of overseeing an offense good enough to win games.

Navy finished with a 9-7 record, and most of those games were tense affairs. The Midshipmen had seven games that were decided by two goals or less.
“Quite honestly, I thought it would be a lot easier than it was. That’s not the reason I’m not coming back, but it’s hard. It was a stressful season,” Cottle said. “Honestly, it’s a young man’s job. I was a good stopgap for this season, but Joe needs to get a young guy in there going forward.”

When contemplating whether to remain with the Navy program for another season, Cottle had to consider the recruiting aspect of being an assistant. College lacrosse coaches are expected to attend club tournaments and camps throughout the summer and fall to scout players and build relationships with coaches.
“Do I really want to spend hours and hours on a hot field on a 90-degree day in the summer? Probably not,” Cottle said. “I like recruiting. I’ve never been afraid of recruiting. It’s just that at this point in my life, I’d prefer to spend my time doing other things.”

Navy averaged just under 11 goals per game, slightly up from last season. The Midshipmen were also improved in terms of overall shooting percentage and the percentage of shots on goal.
Amplo thought Cottle’s influence was most evident in terms of extra man opportunities as Navy increased its conversion rate from .244 in 2023 to .365 in 2024. The Midshipmen were red-hot in that department down the stretch, scoring goals on 11 of 18 extra-man situations over the final five games.
“We knew it was going to be a progression from an Xs and Os standpoint. We feel the offense got better as the season went along and I think our players improved,” Amplo said. “I think some of the subtleties of our spacing and the fundamentals that made us much more efficient offensively were very obvious over the second half of the season.”
Amplo thought the most significant factor was that Cottle developed an offensive unit that operated with superb chemistry and cohesion. Players had clearly defined roles and understood what was expected of them.
“I think we all learned a lot and grew as a program along with Coach Cottle,” Amplo said. “I think Coach Cottle’s impact will be felt for years to come.”

Amplo heard from plenty of skeptics who wondered how Cottle would reacclimate to the college game after a 14-year hiatus. Of particular concern was whether he would be able to relate to today’s players and connect in the ways necessary to be successful.
Cottle put extraordinary effort into getting to know all the Navy players and by midway through the season he was pretty much beloved by them all. Before the final home game of the regular season, Cottle presented every senior with an envelope containing a personalized handwritten note. At the end of the season, Cottle handed out gift certificates to the student managers.
“I was blown away by Dave’s ability to develop relationships through personal communication. It was pretty cool to watch him steadily build strong bonds with the players,” Amplo said. “Dave makes everyone feel like they’re the most important person in his world when they’re in front of him.”
Cottle had said from the outset his priority was developing relationships with the players because he knew the Xs and Os would come once that occurred.

For his part, Cottle said he has “no regrets whatsoever” about coming out of retirement to spend one more season coaching college lacrosse. It was a different experience for the Baltimore native, who had not been an assistant since serving in a graduate capacity at his alma mater Salisbury State.
Cottle amassed 280 wins in 28 seasons as coach at Loyola Maryland and University of Maryland. He was inducted into the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017.

By far the most rewarding aspect of Cottle’s time in Annapolis was becoming part of the fabric of the Naval Academy.
“All the former Navy players I met were unbelievable — just so classy. The entire Navy Athletics staff was just tremendous — just so nice and welcoming. Obviously, the men’s lacrosse coaching staff is incredible — just a top-notch group of men,” Cottle said.
“My biggest bundle of joy was the players. I was so impressed with them and liked them so much. They are all first-class individuals and such good people.”
Cottle said he had no idea what the midshipmen athletes went through on a daily basis until seeing it first-hand this season. He was simply amazed by the amount of responsibilities placed on their shoulders and the schedules they maintain.

Navy’s season came to an end last Friday night when it lost to Lehigh in the Patriot League Tournament semifinals. Cottle said it was an empty feeling knowing there would not be another practice the following Monday.
“I wish we would have won one more game because I wanted the players, especially the seniors, to have a chance to compete for the Patriot League championship,” he said.

Cottle is now the No. 1 fan of Navy men’s lacrosse and plans to make a point of going to as many games as possible in coming seasons “because I love these kids so much and think the world of them.”
Cottle plans to spend most of this summer visiting with close friend and college roommate Steve Pappas in Ocean City before eventually migrating back to Boca Raton. He did not rule out getting involved with lacrosse in some capacity down the road.
“I’m going to play golf in Ocean City this summer then I’m going to head to Florida and play some more golf down there. We’ll see what happens going forward,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amplo hopes to have a new offensive coordinator, the fourth of his tenure, in place by mid-June at the latest. He already has a list of potential targets and said a significant number of coaches have expressed interest.
“Dave is on board for the rest of this month and that allows me to sit back and evaluate potential candidates and go after the individual I think is the best fit for this program,” Amplo said. “I know what I want and I know what we need.”

[essorcalveritas]

Any Predictions on the next OC ?

[old salt]

Based on who is returning there may be some carryover from the progress made by the EMO this season.

10L, 14R, 4L all return from the 2024 EMO unit.

51R, 32R, 9L all return & could slot into the 3 openings

[gymman1031]

Any Predictions on the next OC ?

Possibly Andrew Stimmel, who was most recently the head coach at Marquette? He coached under Amplo at that school, and he also had a nice run as Yale's OC.

[Abr2016]

It looks like the Patriot League is going to take a big hit next year with seniors graduating. Obviously we lose a lot. But so does Army, Boston, and Loyola.

[The Orfling]

So, who should Navy hire as the next OC or would you prefer a completely new staff?

Agnostic to the second half of this question, but assuming Amplo sticks around I think it's likely Andrew Stimmel will be on his shortlist. Joe's a loyalty guy and the two had a strong 2016 season together at Marquette. Stimmel had a very strong two seasons as OC at Yale (although it didn't hurt have Ben Reeves / Jackson Morrill).

As a Yale/Navy fan, I'd be excited to see Andrew Stimmel at Navy. Stimmel had enormous buy-in from the players at Yale and I think he'd love working with the special type of guys who choose to play Division I lacrosse at a service academy.

[SkipPass]

Any OC that takes this job better keep his resume up to date. Navy will be looking for a new HC this time next year. Should have promoted Wellner when they had the opportunity.

[gymman1031]

Assuming Amplo is feeling heat, what might he have to do in 2025 to last beyond that season in Annapolis?

At least another Patriot League Tournament Semifinal appearance?
A double-digit number of wins for the first time?

[Turnandrake]

It looks like the Patriot League is going to take a big hit next year with seniors graduating. Obviously we lose a lot. But so does Army, Boston, and Loyola.

Big hit with the traditional team’s Loyola BU Lehigh Navy. Colgate Army Bucknell should be good next year. Teams where very young.

[gymman1031]

It looks like the Patriot League is going to take a big hit next year with seniors graduating. Obviously we lose a lot. But so does Army, Boston, and Loyola.

Big hit with the traditional team’s Loyola BU Lehigh Navy. Colgate Army Bucknell should be good next year. Teams where very young.

Could Holy Cross, who was also very young, finally surprise?

[Turnandrake]

It looks like the Patriot League is going to take a big hit next year with seniors graduating. Obviously we lose a lot. But so does Army, Boston, and Loyola.

Big hit with the traditional team’s Loyola BU Lehigh Navy. Colgate Army Bucknell should be good next year. Teams where very young.

Could Holy Cross, who was also very young, finally surprise?

Hopefully HC continues to improve good for the league

[youthathletics]

It looks like the Patriot League is going to take a big hit next year with seniors graduating. Obviously we lose a lot. But so does Army, Boston, and Loyola.

Big hit with the traditional team’s Loyola BU Lehigh Navy. Colgate Army Bucknell should be good next year. Teams where very young.

Could Holy Cross, who was also very young, finally surprise?

Hopefully HC continues to improve good for the league

Agreed.

[Hack2022]

Any OC that takes this job better keep his resume up to date. Navy will be looking for a new HC this time next year. Should have promoted Wellner when they had the opportunity.

Kudos to that look at wellners success right now. They wouldn’t even give welner an interview last time