Veteran Navy quarterbacks Tai Lavatai, Xavier Arline find themselves fighting to regain former spots

Published Aug 05, 2023 at 5:30 am
Either Tai Lavatai or Xavier Arline has started at quarterback for all 24 Navy football games the past two seasons.
Now those two seniors find themselves fighting to regain their former positions on the depth chart.
Lavatai missed all of spring camp while recovering from a knee injury, while Arline had limited participation because he was playing lacrosse and battling injuries. Sophomores Teddy Gleaton and Blake Horvath took the majority of practice repetitions and overtook the two veterans.
Gleaton emerged from spring drills as the starter with Horvath as the backup. Arline and Lavatai entered preseason camp listed even at third on the depth chart.
Gleaton has taken himself out of the mix for the time being because he is attending summer school and therefore cannot participate in practices held Monday through Friday. Horvath has moved to the top of the depth chart and Lavatai is now No. 2. Meanwhile, Arline and freshman Braxton Woodson have been sharing third-team reps.
“It’s great competition and I think it’s awesome. Battling for a spot brings the best out of everybody because you know you have to have a great practice each day,” Lavatai said. “All the guys in the room are guys we can win with, so coming out every day and trying to compete, trying to learn from each other is a great feeling.”
Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai suffered a torn ACL against Temple last season and was lost for the last four games. He underwent reconstructive surgery and spent the spring semester rehabilitating.
Navy quarterback Tai Lavatai suffered a torn ACL against Temple last season and was lost for the last four games. He underwent reconstructive surgery and spent the spring semester rehabilitating. (Terrance Williams/AP)
Lavatai has 18 career starts under his belt and thus has the most experience of the bunch. However, he suffered a torn ACL against Temple last season and was lost for the last four games. He underwent reconstructive surgery and spent the spring semester rehabilitating.
Lavatai acknowledged the rehab process was tough mentally and got through the hard parts by focusing on the goal of being full-go by the time preseason practice began in late July.
“There were definitely days when you were questioning whether it was ever going to feel better and be 100%. You just have to stay with it,” he said. “Our training staff and strength staff did a great job of getting [the knee] stronger and better than it was before. I progressed pretty quickly and was able to do more stuff faster than was expected, which was a really good sign.”
Lavatai surprised even himself by recovering to the point he was able to throw and work on mesh drills with the fullbacks toward the end of spring camp. That provided a mental boost because he felt more a part of the team as opposed to doing rehab in the weight and training rooms.
This was an important spring camp for Navy as first-year offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut was installing a new system. Being unable to run plays in practice put Arline and Lavatai behind, but they both attended meetings and worked hard to understand the different schemes Chesnut was installing.
“I think mental reps and learning the offense on paper is just as important,” Lavatai said. “I made sure I was in the playbook and trying to learn it. I did the best I could to visualize it from an outside point of view since I wasn’t out there getting the reps.”
Navy quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper said Lavatai needed to lose some weight after getting up to 240 pounds during the offseason. Lavatai worked hard to shed 20 pounds and the consensus among coaches is that he’s moving better than before the injury.
Horvath is still atop the depth chart, but Chesnut said Friday that Lavatai gained considerable ground with a solid week of practice.
“From an option standpoint, Tai is a good operator. He can read it and execute it. He can get you some yards running the ball and can make good throws,” Jasper said. “Tai’s a good football player. He’s not flashy and isn’t going to outrun anybody, but he’s smart and solid mechanically. He learned a lot [about the offense] during summer workouts and so far this fall camp he’s figuring it out pretty well.”
After watching helplessly from the sideline as Navy lost to archrival Army in overtime and then going through months of grueling rehab, Lavatai is happy to be back on the field.
“Honestly, just being out here is a great feeling. I feel blessed to be able to come out here and practice every day,” he said. “They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Those last few games watching from the sideline were miserable, especially the Army game. Not being able to help at all hurt me a lot.”
Jasper and Chesnut like the potential of Woodson and are giving the plebe a long look during training camp. Woodson, listed as a dual-threat quarterback by recruiting websites, has good size (6-3, 202) and impressive passing skills. He operated a triple-option offense at Lake Brantley High in Florida.
“A very athletic kid who has all the tools. Now it’s just a matter of pointing him in the right direction,” Jasper said. “I was surprised by how well he throws the football. He has a very strong, accurate arm.”
Woodson appeared tentative at times during practice this week, but flashed by making some on-target throws into tight windows. Jasper said the youngster is drinking from a firehose while trying to learn Navy’s offense and adjust to the speed of the college game.
“He’s young and is taking a lot of lumps. He’s tall and gangly and kind of a deer in the headlights right now,” Jasper said.
There has been speculation that perhaps Xavlier Arline, pictured carrying the ball against Army on Dec. 10, will switch to slotback if he does not emerge from August training camp among the top three quarterbacks.
There has been speculation that perhaps Xavlier Arline, pictured carrying the ball against Army on Dec. 10, will switch to slotback if he does not emerge from August training camp among the top three quarterbacks. (Paul W. Gillespie/Capital Gazette)
Woodson took most of the third-team repetitions during Tuesday’s practice and Arline spent the majority of the time watching from the huddle, an unusual situation for a senior who has played in 21 games with nine starts. However, Jasper pointed out that there have been practices during which Arline was directing the second huddle.
“It’s a long football season and things can happen. ‘X’ could be playing sooner than he thinks,” Jasper said. “‘X’ is going to get a lot of reps. We’re not putting him on the shelf.”
Arline was recruited to Navy as a two-sport athlete after decommitting from North Carolina because he was not going to be allowed to pursue football. He played in 11 games with nine starts for the Navy men’s lacrosse team last spring and totaled 31 points on the strength of a team-high 16 assists.
Arline had intended to do double duty by also participating in Navy football spring drills. However, an injury suffered playing lacrosse led to very limited practice repetitions and for the most part he was an observer.
“I knew the mental reps would be key going into the spring, so whenever I was at practice I was locked in and focused,” Arline said. “We had a bunch of seven-on-seven sessions throughout the summer and I got some extra passing with some of the receivers and slotbacks to get that chemistry going.”
There has been speculation that perhaps Arline will switch to slotback if he does not emerge from August training camp among the top three quarterbacks. The Long Island native is not even thinking about the future, choosing to focus on the present quarterback competition.
“It’s football. One play at a time, one day at a time. I’m just trying — each day, each play, each practice — to get myself better. Everything else will take care of itself,” he said.
Arline, like his classmate Lavatai, is somewhat philosophical when contemplating the current situation of trying to earn a spot on the depth chart. He is determined to enjoy this final season of college football no matter what it brings.
“It’s definitely hard mentally when you see yourself down on the depth chart and you’re working to climb back up. I’m not going to deny that,” Arline said. “It’s easy to think about where you’ve been and where you came from, how hard you fought to claw up to the top.
“I’ve sacrificed a lot to come and play football here. If I just let this senior year go to waste by being sour and not enjoying it, I’ll regret that for the rest of my life. I just want to let loose and have fun. Don’t stress and just be the best I can possibly be.”
Horvath said it’s strange to be a sophomore with zero varsity experience and ahead of two seniors that have led Navy to victory on the football field.
“It’s super weird. I look up to Tai and ‘X’ so much after sitting out last season and watching them perform and seeing everything they go through,” Horvath said. “They’ve been a ton of help with everything. Every day we’re talking about all the new stuff we’re putting in and how we can make it better. It’s all of us working together to get each other ready.”