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Where Are They Now? Former Navy fullback Eric Kettani

We kick off our new series with 2009 Navy graduate and former NFL player, Eric Kettani.

By Austin Lanteigne
Green Bay Packers v New England Patriots Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The staff at AAE has talked about installing a “where are they now?” series since inception. Now that football season is over, we are re-assigning some roles and I was fortunate enough to find myself kicking off the series to help jump start 2019. While there are many athletes we hope to connect with in the future, I knew the first person I wanted to reach out to was Eric Kettani. I had the pleasure of being in the same class and company as Eric (as well as Justin Mears) for four years and even through all of his success, he has always remained a well-grounded and respectful individual. After games that featured highlight reel runs, touchdowns and cracking over 100-yards (a feat Eric accomplished six times at Navy) you could still find the fullback talking to his peers in the hallway — with bruised and battered forearms and all. He was kind enough to give me a few minutes of his time so we could find out what he is up to today. We have also added plenty of fun links to some old and grainy videos of Eric and his teammates making some pretty big plays.

Q: Going along with the theme of this series — Where are you now? What are you doing and what is a day in the life of Eric Kettani in 2019?

A: “I am actually on active duty right now. I am a reservist still but I am on special assignment as a campus recruiter for Ohio. After I retired from the NFL, the Executive Recruiter for Naval District Ohio reached out to me because he found out I was in Cleveland as a PAO in the Reserves. He asked me if I would like to be a recruiter and I told him I would love to. I always enjoyed being in the Navy and I missed it while I was playing. So, I have been doing that for two years now. I enjoy it. I get to recruit pilots, intelligence officers, and SWOs. Right now I am actually in Fort Meade, Maryland for the next two months at DINFOS (Defense Information School). I am here for a Public Affairs qualification course. I work on press releases and pushing information out to media.”

Q: That’s actually a good segue, seeing that some of us have seen you host “Sea it Live” for two years now.

A: “Yeah, the program is great. Navy Recruiting Command asked me and LT Kellie Hall to lead it the first year and this year they brought out LTJG Rylan Tuohy - the guy responsible for the ‘Helm Yeah’ spirit spot (editor’s note: yeah, and pretty much all of the best spirit spots created in the past five years). He was a great addition to the program. Hopefully they are planning to expand it beyond Army-Navy games. I would really like to show what happens behind the scenes in the Navy, not the OPSEC aspect to it of course, but the components that people really want to see these days using social media.”

Q: Is that something you can see yourself doing in the future in terms of broadcasting and television appearances?

A: “I think so. I enjoy being in front of the camera. I know some people don’t like being on camera or running things live. I actually learned how to speak in front of the camera and other aspects of communication through Bill Belichick. He teaches athletes in the Patriots’ organization how to answer questions the right way, he makes sure you stay in your lane. That mindset actually helps me out now in the world I live in as a PAO and recruiter.”

Q: Man, I feel like that would be a fun sidebar interview just to learn Bill Belichick’s ways.

A: “Oh man. I am not sure if you know Admiral Stufflebeem? (I was familiar with the name but did even more research on him after the interview. The man was an incredible punter at Navy and ended up signing to play for the Lions. Then he decided to become an F-14 pilot before eventually becoming the voice of the Pentagon. You know, just your standard life adventures). Every year I was there he brought the Admiral in there and he would teach us everything he has learned. He was essentially the main military spokesman following the 9/11 attacks and communicated the Pentagon’s responses. He really stressed the importance of ‘staying in your lane” and explained how to do that with football and the media.”

Q: That sounds like a pretty incredible opportunity to learn from such a man held in high regard. So, is it safe to say that because of the opportunities provided by Coach Belichick that you are a Patriots fan this weekend? I know you have some time under your belt with the Chiefs’ organization as well.

A: “Yeah, I would say the Patriots. Everyone always asks me why I am not a Browns fan and I tell them, ‘Well, the Browns never gave me a pay check or a contract.’ So, you know they (the Patriots) are ones who brought me to the NFL and saw I had the athletic ability to play in the NFL which I greatly appreciated. And the Patriots have a really good defense right now. The Chiefs are obviously powerful with Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill - some big time fantasy producing players. It will be a really exciting matchup and the cold is not an issue for either team.”

Q: When you were there with the Patriots weren’t you practicing with Shun White (click for a highlight reel of his five TD game vs. Towson) and Tyree Barnes (video of an incredible catch vs. EMU in 2006)?

A: “Shun and I did training camp together. Well, actually, Tyree was there for training camps and Shun was there for mini-camps. But yeah, we had some time where we were playing together.” (Class of 2009, represent!)

Q: Switching gears a little bit, and talking more about your college career at Navy. Did you have a favorite play, or game, or memory that sticks out the most?

A: “I think you know the answer to that — that is a no brainer. Notre Dame and the first time beating them in 43 years.”

Q: Oh, I believe that, and is it true that Paul Johnson said biltz all 11 of them?

A: “Yeah, he told them to “send the house.” I remember standing on the sidelines and actually couldn’t even see what happened because one of my friends, Kevin Snyder, got in front of me. So when I saw everyone run out onto the field I was like “Oh! We won!” Then all the Midshipmen ran onto the field and everyone was jumping around. I actually ran into my roommate, James Brown (who probably wasn’t supposed to be on the field at that time).”

Q: Well I remember Justin and I made the field then, too. I didn’t get very far because a security guard was coming after me and I quickly went back to the stands.

A: “Yeah, I remember seeing Justin down there, too. I remember that.” (Justin actually lost his shoe in the process and he proceeded to walk around South Bend with only one shoe on for the rest of the night.)

Q: Yeah, I think we stack all of life’s moments up against that, ya know?

A: You know the nice thing about it is that even when I meet Navy fans now they always want to bring up that game. It is cool knowing that I am part of the team that won. Actually, the only trophy I have in my office is a plaque I got for being MVP of that game and that is the only thing I showcase in my office.” (20 carries, 70 yards, and two touchdown performance.)

Q: Simply stated: that is awesome. What about outside your football career? At the Academy in general as a Midshipmen, any experience you gained that set you up for life today?

A: “If picking only one thing, it would have to be learning time management. Just managing the hours the Academy mandates of you plus the second job of being a division one athlete - if you don’t have time management and properly maintain and balance all aspects of the Academy you are going to be in a world of hurt.”

Q: And last question to kind of wrap it up for you, this being commitment season for high school students, what kind of advice would you give a student contemplating attending an academy?

A: “I actually interview a lot of perspective students now as a recruiting officer, as well as guys and girls who are trying to attend NROTC. They are all great applicants. Everyone has a high GPA and are involved in extracurricular activities. The thing that kind of carries the most weight that I see for acceptance is the ACT and SAT score. It carries so much weight. That and being an all encompassing person with solid grades and activities. But, what I tell these kids now is that if you want to be a pilot, why not go work on getting some hours now? Or if you want to be a SEAL, get your scuba or diving certification because efforts like that really make you stick out.”

Q: That’s awesome advice and I imagine will set you apart from all the applicants rocking 1400 SAT, 4.0 GPAs, and lettering in multiple sports.

A: “It seems everybody that applies has a 4.18 GPA. It is ridiculous. I never even realized that GPAs go that high.”

Q: Eric — thank you so much for your time, my man. It was good catching up. We will certainly have to have you on one of our first podcasts whenever we get to it. Sound good?

A: Totally, just let me know. I would love to help.

We thank Eric for his time and look forward to seeing him at future Navy sporting events. Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter at @EricKettani.