Sporting News ranked Navy fullback Adam Ballard as the thirdbest fullback in the country. However, there is some debate whether he is even the best fullback on his own team.
Ballard, a 6-foot-1, 236-pound senior, enters this season as the Midshipmen?s starting fullback. But, he expects to receive a solid challenge all season from junior Eric Kettani, who filled in admirably late in 2006 after Ballard broke his leg in the Army game.
The battle for the starting job could end up being similar to last season when Ballard beat out incumbent Matt Hall who suffered a season-ending injury the year before.
Hall never regained the starting roll and Ballard went on to rush for a team-high 792 yards and three touchdowns before getting hurt.
“Eric?s worked really hard and performed very well after I got hurt,” said Ballard on Kettani, who finished with 229 yards and a touchdown on 53 carries in 2006. “Hopefully we can both help the team out.”
Ballard said missing Navy?s game against Boston College in the Meineke Car Bowl was one of the toughest moments of his career.
The leg injury represented the first major setback for the Lewisville, Texas native, who started playing football when he was 8 years old.
“You get a new appreciation after being knocked out of a game for the first time,” Ballard said. “Then you have to sit back and watch your teammates play without you. When you?re working out in the summer and the offseason you?re even more motivated.
“That?s not to say you?re not already motivated, but you just want to get back out there. Now you can put it behind you.”
Navy head coach Paul Johnson said there should be plenty of snaps available for both of his main fullbacks. He added he is excited about the depth at all of the skill positions for the Midshipmen this season, including at fullback, a vital position in the team?s tripleoption, run-based offense.
“Adam Ballard had a really good year last year until he got hurt and then Eric Kettani came in and did some good things so I?m sure that?s going to be a battle,” Johnson said.
“We feel like we have some guys at those positions to be good players. We will just have to wait until we play and see what happens. Certainly the experience is there. You want to be good up the middle.”
NAVY NOTES
» Ballard?s 5.5 yard per carry for his career is the fifth-best in school history. Also, he had surgery on his broken right leg Dec. 4 and returned in time for spring practice.
» Kettani is considered one of Navy?s most athletic players as he can bench press 400 pounds (fourth best on the team) and runs a 4.53 40-yard dash (third best on the team).
