Navy QB Perry Olsen enters the transfer portal

The Perry Olsen era at Navy ended before it even started.

After entering the 2020 off-season as the presumed successor to Malcolm Perry, Olsen lost the starting quarterback job in training camp to Dalen Morris. Still, Olsen, a sophomore, was second on the depth chart and it always seemed like he’d get another chance to start if things didn’t work out with Morris. Just a few days ago, Olsen played the second half vs. BYU after Morris’ lackluster first half.

But it appears we’ve seen the last of Olsen in a Navy uniform.

Following a few different reports Friday evening, Olsen quoted a tweet from another account, confirming that he had entered the transfer portal and intends to leave Annapolis.

A 6-foot-2 product of Yukon, Oklahoma, Olsen was a political science major at Navy. He saw action in seven games as a freshman last season, totaling 125 yards of total offense and accounting for three scores. He had touchdowns rushing and passing in Navy’s lopsided loss to Notre Dame last season.

Olsen entered preseason camp atop the depth chart at quarterback and was the only person at the position who had played meaningful snaps. But he slid back to the No. 2 spot after a strong showing from Morris just one week into camp. Offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper told the Capital Gazette that Olsen didn’t “separate himself from the pack” while Morris came into camp like a “man on a mission.”

Neither Morris nor Olsen played particularly well Monday night, as Navy got blown out by BYU, 55-3. Much of that was due to poor blocking by the Mids’ front-line, which hadn’t seen full-speed and full-contact football since Navy’s bowl win last December. Still, after an uninspiring first half from Morris, Olsen entered the game and did some decent things. He broke off a 31-yard run, completed a pair of passes and led Navy on its only scoring drive of the night. However, Olsen also took three sacks and didn’t do anything spectacular to win back the job.

According to the Capital Gazette, Jasper was “non-committal” on Thursday when asked if the quarterback competition would be reopened.

“Dalen and Perry both slipped. I don’t know if it was the shoes, weak legs, nervous legs — any one of those things,” Jasper said. “It didn’t help the situation, it just added on to everything else that was going on that night.”

With Olsen leaving the program, it’s likely that Massai Maynor — who was No. 3 on the depth chart out of camp — will slide into the No. 2 role. For the third spot on the depth chart, junior Tyger Goslin is probably in the lead, but freshmen Xavier Arline and Tai Lavatai could compete for the spot as well.

Olsen was also recruited by Army, Air Force, Kansas, Tulsa and Division II Central Oklahoma out of high school, according to Rivals and 247sports.

Perry Olsen’s younger brother, Owen, left the Naval Academy last year and transferred to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, a JUCO.

Additionally, sophomore linebacker Vincent Thomas Jr. announced he was transferring too. He entered the season third on the depth chart at striker. He did not see any varsity action last season.