Preseason football practices are designed in part for coaches to open competition for starting and backup jobs at various positions. This is also true at Navy, where there are battles going for a number of primary and secondary roles including along the offensive line and at punter.
However, one of the more evenly matched competitions of the preseason for the Midshipmen is at inside linebacker, where senior Larry Cylc is battling sophomore Clint Sovie for the top spot on the depth chart. Sovie currently leads the competition, with Cylc listed behind him at the beginning of this week.
At the same time, both have shown Navy head coach Paul Johnson that they each deserve the opportunity to see significant action during the regular season. The most recent example of this came during Saturday?s scrimmage, when Cylc led the team with 12 tackles while Sovie finished with nine.
“That?s another [situation] where one plays better one day and the other plays better the next,” Johnson said. “It?s not going to matter. They are both going to play a bunch.”
Cylc, an environmental applications major, played in 11 games last season and registered seven tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble. He also had five kick returns for 51 yards in a back-up role. Sovie played mainly on special teams in 2005, but he did play in all 12 games.
“So far, we?ve pretty much been even in practice,” said the 6-foot-2, 280-pound Cylc. “We?ve both been able to push each other out on the field, and I think we will each be better players because of it.”
Sovie, an economics major, said he prefers an open competition for the starting position rather than just being handed the job, especially considering both players will get plenty of playing time.
“In my mind, it doesn?t matter who is named the starter,” said the 5-foot-11, 201-pound Sovie. “The fact that we are out here competing every day is only going to help the team because in the end, we are all out here for the same purpose and that is to win.”
