Navy Football Hires Mercer Head Coach Drew Cronic As Offensive Coordinator

After firing Grant Chesnut in December, the Navy Midshipmen have their next offensive coordinator.

Mercer University announced on Tuesday afternoon that head football coach Drew Cronic had resigned his position and would assume the open OC role in Annapolis. 

Cronic joins Brian Newberry's staff after leading Mercer to the program's first trip to the FCS playoffs in 2023. He won 28 games in four seasons in Macon. The Bears scored 27.4 points per game and 323.3 yards per game in 2023. They ranked fifth in the nine-team SoCon on both accounts. 

Prior to Mercer, Cronic spent the previous two seasons as the head coach of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University. From 1995 to 1997, Cronic played wide receiver at Georgia. He also had a successful stint in NAIA as head coach of Reinhardt University and has assistant experience at West Georgia, Furman, and James Madison.

Navy finished the 2023 season with a 5-7 overall record and a 4-4 record in the AAC. The Midshipmen averaged 17.7 points per game, just 0.4 points more than the league-worst East Carolina Pirates. Navy were also second-worst in the league in total offense with 300.3 yards per game. Navy reached the red zone a league-worst 29 times, scoring points on just 20 trips, with 14 touchdowns.

The Midshipmen have not formally announced the hire as of 7:30 PM ET.