Connor McMahon didn’t need any help feeling emotional.
Then about 30 minutes before he was set to take the field for the 125th Army-Navy game Saturday, the U.S. Naval Academy senior left tackle said he was approached with some news.
McMahon said Navy’s senior associate athletic director for equipment operations Greg Morgenthaler told him he would serve as a captain for the game, his third and final meeting with the Midshipmen’s biggest rival.
“He just let me know before the game,” said McMahon, a Canonsburg native and Canon-McMillan graduate. “It wasn’t anything crazy, but I was just super excited to find out.”
Just like that, McMahon was soon walking toward midfield at a sold out Northwest Stadium — the home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders — in Landover, Md. A national TV audience was waiting to watch U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin perform the coin toss before the storied rivalry dubbed “America’s Game” began.
“It definitely made it more emotional for me,” McMahon said. “You kind of just take it all in in that moment as you’re walking to the middle of the field and then everybody is going crazy in the stands. It was a surreal moment for me.”
It was the third time McMahon served as captain for Navy this season. The three-year starter was named captain by Midshipmen coach Brian Newberry before the 2024 season opener against Bucknell and the Nov. 16 game against Tulane.
Navy would go on to defeat Army, 31-13, to end its two-game losing skid against the Black Knights and provide McMahon with his first victory against his rivals from West Point.
“Just to have all those super high-up government officials and a bunch of high-ranking officers and just some of the best players in the country, on the other team as well, it was just definitely one of the top moments of my life,” McMahon said. “It was just super cool to represent our team.”
And now one more chance to represent the Annapolis, Md., service academy is looming for McMahon.
Navy (9-3) will face Oklahoma (6-6) in the Armed Forces Bowl at noon Dec. 27 in Fort Worth, Texas. With a victory, the Midshipmen will have a 10-win season for just the sixth time in program history and the first since 2019.
McMahon — who has made 34 consecutive starts for Navy — said he is excited for the opportunity to again make history for his program in the final game of his career.
“It would be such a flex to beat an SEC team after the season we’ve been having,” McMahon said. “Obviously we are going to have some fun, but at the same time we are going to take it very serious and get all of the stuff we need to do done and take care of business.”
That’s exactly what McMahon has done during his tenure in Annapolis.
After failing to appear in a game as a freshman, McMahon staked his claim to a starting position as a sophomore and never relinquished the distinction.
McMahon first started as a 265-pound left guard as a sophomore. He said he relied on an “athletic build” as one of the smallest Division I guards in the country.
As a junior, McMahon said he transitioned to left tackle where he worked on his base blocking and grew into the position.
Now at 6 feet 4, 279 pounds, McMahon has excelled in Navy’s offense.
“I’ve gotten a lot better just being able to move people,” McMahon said. “I’ve gotten a lot bigger and stronger. My footwork has gotten a lot better, my hands have gotten a lot better.”
Navy offensive line coach Jay Guillermo said McMahon’s fundamentals and attention to detail are his strongest attributes. He added McMahon’s increased role as a leader has paid dividends this season.
“He’s a smart kid that’s going to know what to do and can adjust on the fly to what defenses are giving us,” Guillermo said. “He’s a guy that I don’t have to go over something 10 different times for him to understand it. Obviously as a coach, you do that if you have to, right, but he’s one of those that really takes the time to understand the whole landscape of the play and what all is happening and why he’s doing what he’s doing.”
Guillermo said he is not surprised McMahon has flourished this season.
“He’s one of those guys that if he wasn’t at the Naval Academy he’d probably be playing center, just being honest, but he’s one of those that within what we do, he really excels,” he said. “He’s grown so much to where I think he’s got to be in the conversation of being one of the better tackles in the country just because of what we do.
“He’s not just coming off and veer releasing or working down blocks every play,” Guillermo added. “He’s having to do a lot of different things, which can be hard. It can be a lot to handle.”
While Navy still employs many aspects of its traditional flexbone, triple-option, its offense has been much more diverse this season with quarterback Blake Horvath.
Fullback Alex Tecza and slot back Eli Heidenreich have also flourished for the Midshipmen. The pair of juniors are Mt. Lebanon graduates, who led the Blue Devils to WPIAL and PIAA championships as seniors in 2021.
Heidenreich has caught a team-high 37 passes for 649 yards and six touchdowns, while also rushing for 421 yards and three scores.
Tecza is Navy’s second-leading rusher behind Horvath with 533 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with his 229 yards and two scores through the air.
Navy’s roster includes six former WPIAL players including: sophomore Luke Lawson (Seneca Valley); freshman Aiden Lyczek (Seneca Valley); and freshman Drew Fontana (Central Catholic).
“We always talk about how tough the yinzers are,” McMahon said. “I’m super proud to be a Pittsburgh guy.”
McMahon said he is also proud to be a part of the Navy.
Although his football career may be ending, McMahon will transition to his military career and begin training as a naval aviator in 2025. He said he is scheduled to report for flight training in Pensacola, Fla., as part of an eight-year military commitment at the end of next year.
“It’s just been a good experience,” McMahon said. “It’s taught me a lot. I’ve had my ups and downs and I think this last game, it’s definitely my time to call it quits after this. I’ve put my time in. I wouldn’t change anything. It’s taught me a lot and I found out a lot about myself the last couple of years. I’m super appreciative of the whole process.”
And Guillermo said he is excited to see what the future holds for McMahon.
“He embodies what you want from a Naval academy offensive lineman,” said Guillermo, who won two national championships as a player at Clemson. “He’s fought through injury before I got here and even this year. He’s a tough kid. He’s someone that is going to give everything he has to give to the Naval Academy and to his brothers on the team every day.
“There’s not a lot of coaching effort whenever it comes to Conor McMahon. He’s just a standup person.”
John is a copy editor and page designer at the Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at jsanta@unionprogress.com.