Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds had one of the great careers in college football history, finishing with an NCAA Division I record 88 touchdowns. But he doesn’t know if he has an NFL future.
Reynolds was a run-first, pass-second quarterback in college, which means his transition to the pros would be difficult. And Reynolds doesn’t know if the Navy will even allow him to play pro football until he has completed all his service obligations, although he’s hopeful that an arrangement can be worked out.
“That’s definitely up to the Navy; we have to meet,” Reynolds told Paul Kuharsky of ESPN. “But I’m happy either way. I know what I signed up for and service is paramount. If I get my opportunity to do both, then so be it. If not and they want me to do what I signed up to do, do my time first, then so be it as well. I knew what I was getting myself into when I came here.”
Some service academy athletes have been required to spend as much as five years in active military service before turning pro, but others have been permitted to turn pro right after college. Reynolds’ Navy teammate Joe Cardona was a fifth-round draft pick of the Patriots last year, and the Navy allowed him to stay with the Patriots all season. He played all 16 games.
Reynolds will probably have to move to running back or wide receiver to make it in the NFL, and he may have some military service to complete first. But he’s likely to get a chance to prove himself, and after all he accomplished in college, no one should bet against him earning a spot on an NFL roster.