Andrew Daly Earns CSFL Rookie of the Week After Breakout Navy Sprint Football Debut
ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Andrew Daly could hardly have scripted a better beginning to his Navy sprint football career.
The junior wide receiver was named the Collegiate Sprint Football League Rookie of the Week after leading Navy’s receiving corps during a dominant 27-6 season-opening victory over Penn on Sept. 18 at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Daly caught three passes for a team-high 89 yards and a touchdown while also contributing on special teams in his first sprint football game.
Daly’s biggest play also happened to be his first collegiate reception. Quarterback Luke O’Connell connected with Daly for a 63-yard touchdown in the first quarter, opening the scoring and providing the Midshipmen with a lead they never relinquished.
Daly Makes Immediate Impact
Navy and Penn remained scoreless for most of the opening quarter before Daly provided the game’s first explosive play. With 4:05 remaining in the period, O’Connell found Daly for the 63-yard touchdown to complete a quick three-play, 75-yard scoring drive.
Jacori Sutton converted the extra point to put Navy ahead 7-0. The touchdown began a run of 27 unanswered points as the Midshipmen controlled the first three quarters.
Daly did not disappear after the long touchdown. He added receptions of 19 and seven yards to finish with three catches for 89 yards, averaging nearly 30 yards per reception. His 89 receiving yards were the most by any Navy player in the victory.
His contributions extended beyond the offense. Daly returned a kickoff for 15 yards, added eight yards on a punt return and recorded a special-teams tackle, giving Navy production from the newcomer in several different phases.
From Navy Lacrosse to Sprint Football
Daly’s route to the sprint football field makes his debut particularly interesting.
The 5-foot-6 junior from Wayne, New Jersey, previously spent two seasons as a member of Navy’s men’s lacrosse program before joining sprint football. He attended Seton Hall Preparatory School in West Orange, New Jersey, where he was a two-sport athlete and earned three varsity letters in both football and lacrosse.
Daly graduated from Seton Hall Prep in 2023 before attending the Naval Academy Preparatory School in Newport, Rhode Island, during the 2023-24 academic year. His athletic background therefore included plenty of football experience even though Friday represented his first game with Navy’s sprint program.
The transition paid immediate dividends.
Rather than needing several games to establish a role in Navy’s offense, Daly became the Midshipmen’s leading receiver in his debut and produced the team’s longest offensive play of the night.
O’Connell and Daly Provide Big-Play Connection
Daly’s performance also gave O’Connell another weapon in Navy’s passing game.
O’Connell finished the opener with 194 passing yards and threw two touchdowns. His first went to Daly for 63 yards, while his second came on a 30-yard connection with Ibi Denson with six seconds remaining in the first half.
That touchdown sent Navy into halftime leading 20-0.
The Midshipmen then extended their advantage to 27-0 early in the third quarter when Broderick Freeman broke free for a 19-yard rushing touchdown. Penn did not score until the fourth quarter, when John Franchini connected with Andy Falletta for an eight-yard touchdown that produced the final 27-6 margin.
Navy finished with 382 total yards compared with Penn’s 180. The Midshipmen rushed for 178 yards and passed for 204 while holding the Quakers to only 47 rushing yards.
Gennicks Makes History in Opener
Daly was not the only Navy player to reach a milestone against Penn.
Senior running back and offensive captain Hunter Gennicks rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown, becoming Navy sprint football’s all-time career rushing leader. He entered the season after accumulating 2,256 rushing yards and 26 touchdowns on 338 carries through his first 22 games.
Gennicks entered 2026 as the reigning CSFL Most Valuable Player and a two-time First Team All-CSFL running back. His presence gives Navy an established centerpiece in the backfield, while the emergence of players such as Daly could make the Midshipmen more difficult to defend through the air.
Navy’s defense also played a major role in the opener. Jake Frazier and Sam Stotler recorded seven tackles apiece, while Cooper Arnold, Drake Murrell and Lex Willson each recorded a sack. Murrell produced three tackles for loss, Lexington Megerle intercepted a pass and Matthew DeVito recovered a fumble.
Navy Begins Title Defense at 1-0
The victory continued an impressive stretch for Navy’s sprint football program.
Navy finished the 2025 season with a perfect 8-0 record and captured the CSFL championship. It marked the program’s 41st conference championship and 34th outright championship while giving the Midshipmen four conference titles over the previous five seasons.
The Midshipmen opened 2026 at 1-0 overall and 1-0 in the CSFL South with the victory over Penn. Navy has also dominated the historical series against the Quakers, entering this season with a 79-8-2 all-time record against Penn.
Daly earning a conference award immediately after the opener provides another encouraging development for a program attempting to remain atop the CSFL.
Army-Navy Star Game Up Next
Navy’s next challenge carries considerably more significance than an ordinary early-season game.
The Midshipmen host Army on Friday, Sept. 25, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in the annual Army-Navy Star Game. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., and the game counts toward the overall Army-Navy Star Series.
That gives Daly an opportunity to follow his breakout debut with his first appearance in one of the program’s biggest games of the season.
Army will also have film showing exactly what the 5-foot-6 receiver can do when he gets into space. Daly needed only three catches against Penn to accumulate 89 yards, and his ability to contribute as both a receiver and returner gives Navy several ways to put the ball in his hands.
MSB Take
Andrew Daly’s first Navy sprint football game could not have done much more to establish him as a player to watch. His first collegiate reception became a 63-yard touchdown, he finished as Navy’s leading receiver and he contributed in multiple phases before earning the CSFL Rookie of the Week honor.
The most intriguing part may be how Daly fits into an offense that already features the reigning CSFL MVP and Navy’s new career rushing leader in Hunter Gennicks. Opponents already have to account for Navy’s rushing attack, and a receiver capable of producing explosive plays downfield gives the Midshipmen another dimension.
One game is still a small sample, but 89 receiving yards on only three catches is an impressive introduction. Daly now gets an even bigger stage when Navy hosts Army in the Star Game Friday night.
For a player making the transition from Navy lacrosse to sprint football, Daly wasted virtually no time making his presence felt.
