Navy football team captains Daba Fofana, Colin Ramos welcome leadership roles

Navy football coach Brian Newberry was not at all surprised when the votes were tabulated and the 2024 Navy football team captains were elected.

Coach Brian Newberry was not at all surprised when the votes were tabulated and the 2024 Navy football team captains were elected. Fullback Daba Fofana and inside linebacker Colin Ramos were the overwhelming winners after all varsity players were polled.

Newberry believes in voting for captains at the end of spring camp because those four weeks show which rising seniors are the true leaders. However, the second-year head coach thinks the results would have been the same if the ballot had been issued shortly after the 2023 campaign concluded.

“Both Daba and Colin are really well liked and well respected by their teammates. Both have played a lot of meaningful snaps and done a lot of good things on the football field,” Newberry said. “We had a lot of guys get votes, but those two were far and away the clear-cut choices. They’re both phenomenal people and model midshipmen who do everything right on and off the field.”

Ramos is a three-year varsity letterman who has played in 32 games with 24 starts and amassed 198 tackles, including 18 ½ for loss. The New Jersey native was named first team All-American Athletic Conference after leading Navy with 110 tackles.

Ramos was presented with the Tony Rubino Memorial Silver Helmet Award as Navy’s Most Outstanding Player by the Touchdown Club of Annapolis. He also received the E.E. “Rip” Miller Award as the Midshipmen’s Most Valuable Player as voted by teammates.

“I think that’s always part of being a captain — you’ve done things on the field that merit that type of respect. It’s a combination of on-field performance and off-field leadership,” Newberry said. “What stands out about Colin is his work ethic, consistency, discipline and toughness.”

Fofana played in 24 games with 13 starts over the previous two seasons and amassed 1,052 rushing yards with nine touchdowns. He led Navy in rushing as a sophomore with 769 yards, but lost the starting job to Alex Tecza last season and saw his carries reduced from 186 to 72.

Fofana is an extremely well-rounded student-athlete, boasting a 3.57 grade point average as an applied physics major and is also a talented cellist, having played in the Naval Academy orchestra as a plebe.

“Daba has been a key offensive performer for the last two seasons. He’s played a bunch and been very productive,” Newberry said. “I think Daba’s overall body of work and how he carries himself stands out. He’s a very conscientious kid.”

At the Naval Academy, varsity team captains are recognized by wearing three stripes on their uniforms. Ramos was honored to join the elite list of Navy football players to receive that honor, calling it a “blessing an awesome opportunity.”

“It definitely puts you into a unique leadership role here at the academy,” Ramos said. “People within the company see you as a leader with the three stripes on your sleeve. You have to always carry yourself in such a manner that represents the football team in a great light.”

Fofana’s father emigrated to the United States from the Ivory Coast in West Africa and the fullback carries the same first name as his grandfather. Daba, which means hard worker, was not surprised to be voted a captain, but was certainly appreciative of the recognition.

“My initial reaction was to praise the lord because nothing I’ve ever done is without his sovereignty. I was also humbled to be selected because to be seen as a leader by my teammates is a blessing,” he said. “Serving as captain is an assumed responsibility and I welcome it. It’s a pressure I want to have on my shoulders.”

In one of their first official acts as co-captains, Fofana and Ramos called a seniors-only meeting to outline the team culture they hope to instill. Fofana urged his classmates to be more committed in terms of voluntary summer workouts among other things.

“First and foremost, we want to establish more of a sense of accountability among players of all classes and not have an imbalance among older guys doing that. We need the younger guys to get involved with holding players accountable,” Fofana said. “We also want to make sure everyone understands where criticism is coming from — that it’s a place of love and wanting your brother to be better.”

Newberry is placing renewed emphasis on internal leadership, stating flatly that it needs to improve. He does not believe Navy football has gotten strong enough leadership the previous three years and is determined to change that trend in 2024.

“In my experience, player-led teams are the ones that can be really, really good,” Newberry said. “There are some things the seniors need to police and not the coaches.”

Newberry was pleased to learn that Fofana and Ramos had already convened a seniors-only meeting without prompting and said the feedback was extremely positive. It was clear the seniors are all on the same page and have each other’s back.

“Our immediate focus was to make it understood that the leadership and direction has to go through the seniors. It’s up to the entire senior class to enforce the standards throughout the team,” Ramos said. “We need to turn this program back in the direction we want it to go. It’s necessary to call people out and do the uncomfortable things because I think a lot of that has fallen through the cracks the last few years.”

Winning culture

Navy has endured losing records in five of the last six seasons. The Midshipmen made slight improvement in their first season under Newberry, posting a 5-7 overall record and finishing tied for fourth place in the American Athletic Conference at 4-4.

Most disappointing to everyone involved with the program is that Navy is a combined 4-12 against service academy rivals Army and Air Force over the past eight seasons.

“Colin and I are determined to do our best to reestablish Navy football and put the program back on the map,” Fofana said. “It’s our job to restore a winning culture and instill the mentality necessary to make that happen.”

Fofana’s goal is to become a doctor and he recently took the Medical College Admission Test. He will be applying to medical schools this summer and hopes to practice as an orthopedic surgeon.

Fofana, who will find out in August if he has been approved for the medical billet, believes his ability to balance a rigorous course load along with military responsibilities and football will inspire teammates.

“I feel like I’m an example of someone who can do all the hard things of being a midshipman and still be able to perform on the field,” Fofana said. “I want to be an embodiment of the culture we want to establish going forward. Hopefully, I can bring a sense of trust and hope to the team.”

Ramos, who hopes to receive Marine Corps Ground as a service assignment, said he and Fofana have already started thinking outside of the box for ways to lead Navy football. They have discussed doing things differently than years past to get Navy football back on track.

“This is our last go-round and we’re either going to be remembered for losing or for changing the direction of this program and getting it back to the standard Navy football has been known for over the years,” Ramos said.

Newberry said one trait Fofana and Ramos have in common is high character. They are also both on the quiet side, preferring to lead by example. Newberry has spoken to both captains about “getting out of their comfort zone” and speaking up more often.

“Colin and Daba both have their own style and lead in their own way. Neither one of those guys is super outgoing or vocal,” Newberry said. “I think they’re both the type to shout praise and whisper criticism.”

Fofana believes leading by example is most effective and noted there are plenty of rah-rah types who talk a big game, but don’t back it up.

“We might not be loud vocal leaders, but we understand when someone needs to be corrected or criticized,” he said.

“I know that in my role as captain I can’t just sit back, that I have to actively engage in things and be a strong voice on the team,” Ramos said.

Newberry said Navy will name two additional captains before the start of preseason camp and mentioned offensive tackle Connor McMahon, wide receiver Kroy Myers, defensive end Justin Reed and safety Mbiti Williams as potential candidates.

Meanwhile, the following players have been named position captains for Navy football. Justin Reed (defensive line); Kyle Jacobs (inside linebackers); Jordan Sanders (outside linebackers); Dashaun Peele (cornerbacks); Mbiti Williams (safeties); Riley Riethman (specialists); Amin Hassan (snipes); Alex Tecza (fullbacks); Kroy Myers (wide receivers); Thomas Scully (tight ends); Connor McMahon (offensive line) and Blake Horvath (quarterbacks).