Looking Back at the Story of Alohi Gilman
Navy will face off against Notre Dame on Saturday. This is a critical game for both teams. Navy is now ranked 24 in the country as they look to remain on their hot streak. Notre Dame has rebounded very well since the early season upset to Northern Illinois. A loss would seriously put their playoff hopes in jeopardy. There is however one current NFL player who has ties to both programs. That would be Chargers safety Alohi Gilman.
Where it Started
Gilman came out of Hawaii and initially committed to the Naval Academy. He wasn’t passionate about the military in his words, so it’s safe to assume he wanted the experience to play division one with thought of making it to the NFL. There was a change in the eligibility rules when he was playing as a freshman where a deferment from service to play at that time was taken off the table. It would make it very hard for Gilman and others who had a real shot to make it to get a chance to even see if that was possible.
That was the tipping point, so he formally began the transfer process. This was before the portal. Gilman had to call now former coach Ken Niumatalolo, a fellow Hawaiian and family friend, that he was leaving. He said it was the hardest conversation he has ever had with someone. I was unaware of this before doing research for this, but the conversation did not go well. The conversation lasted an hour and coach strongly pushed back on Gilman and told him he should stay. Gilman’s father even got involved and tried to talk to coach. Both of them recall coach being very upset. To make matters even more tense, Gilman might have had a chance to play right away at his next stop if the paper work had gotten to the NCAA in time, but Navy withheld certain documents forcing Gilman to sit out a year due to the old transfer rules.
The Next Step
Eventually, the saga ended and Gilman made it to Notre Dame. He knew the special teams coach from his initial recruitment when Nevada was interested in him. Gilman made an immediate impact when he was finally eligible to play. During his final of year of college play, Navy showed up on the schedule as they do every few years. It was complete domination by the Irish and the game meant even more to Gilman. Coach Ken continued to rave leading up to the game about Gilman’s IQ and how he went through drills without mistakes when at Navy, but added he wished he had stayed.
Gilman was drafted the following spring in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. He has moved into a starting role and recently signed an extension. Things did not end well for Coach Ken at Navy. He was fired after the Army Navy game two years ago and has since taken the head coaching job at San Jose State. Some make the argument that Navy was resistant to let Gilman leave worrying it would set a bad example that talented players can leave whenever they want and don’t have to commit long term.
While it’s a valid argument, you are able to leave without any problem within the first year or two if you decide that the service is no longer what you want to pursue. They can’t force you to stay and carry on the commitment until you reach junior year. And even with that, they have allowed players with extra eligibility to pursue a playing opportunity elsewhere. The service academy cannot allow players to transfer in, making them three of four schools this season to play without a transfer player. The other for those curious, is Clemson.
Regardless, things have worked out for Navy and Gilman, and it seems like this whole fiasco is behind them. The two teams will lock horns again and I believe the Midshipmen can pull off the upset.