Navy football could potentially have a new starting quarterback when it meets Tulane at noon Saturday at Yulman Stadium in New Orleans. Coach Ken Niumatalolo and offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper both said this week that the staff has been evaluating the entire stable of quarterbacks since the season opener. Starter Dalen Morris looked shaky during the 55-3 loss to BYU and backup Perry Olsen is no longer part of the program.
Olsen played the entire second half of the BYU debacle, but entered the transfer portal last Friday night following a pre-practice meeting with Jasper, who also coaches the quarterbacks. Niumatalolo said during an virtual news conference Monday that he supported Jasper with regard to his evaluation of Olsen.
In coaching, you have to trust your players to do right every single play. Me and Perry have had open discussions the entire time he’s been here. I’ve always been honest with him. I’ve never sugarcoated anything, Jasper said. When you make one good decision then two bad ones after that, there’s no consistency. If you can’t trust a quarterback to do what’s best for the football team every single play, that’s a problem, Jasper added. As a quarterback, you have to be perfect or as close to perfect as you can. That’s the nature of the position.
Jasper has not spoken with Olsen since the sophomore announced his intention to transfer. The 6-foot, 205-pound sophomore from Oklahoma was the backup behind Malcolm Perry last season and entered preseason practice atop the depth chart. I don’t want to get too much into Perry Olsen’s decision and why he left. Great kid, tough kid and I wish him the best of luck. I respect his decision, Jasper said. Perry wants to be a quarterback and he wants to play, and he can’t do that here.
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