Are the Army and Navy football players in the military?

You'd be hard-pressed to find something better in the entirety of college football than the annual Army-Navy football game. There's a reason that it gets the pageantry, the show and the isolated Saturday to showcase the matchup between the United States' longest-standing service academies. And the fact that it's followed by the Heisman Trophy ceremony only makes it stand out that much more as special on the CFB calendar.

We're set for one of the best showdowns in the Army-Navy game this year, as well, with the two teams set to meet on Saturday, Dec. 14 in Landover, MD at the Washington Commanders stadium. Army emerged as the champions of the American Athletic Conference in the Black Knights' first year in the league and come into the game at 11-1. But Navy has been no slouch either, bringing a solid 8-3 mark into the game — though they did limp to the finish line, losing three of their last five.

This is also a historic matchup for the Army-Navy Game, though, as this will be the 125th meeting between these rivals. There should be plenty of spectacles before and after the game that will be one-of-a-kind beyond any doubt. And the cadets from both universities will surely play a big part ain that.

But when you talk about the pomp and circumstance and the cadets in particular, the students are in their full dress military garb when they attend the games. Obviously, both schools are military-affiliated. However, the uniforms lead to a simple question from many fans about if these students and, even more so, the players are enlisted in the military or how they fit into that equation.

Army and Navy football: Are players in the military?

When these two teams are playing in their annual matchup, they are not enlisted in any branch of the military. Rather, they are at the service academy universities in West Point (Army) and Annapolis (Navy) as students. But the more apt answer to the question of if these players are in the military is “not yet”. However, they will be eventually.

Everyone who attends either of these schools will have a five-year mandatory service period in the branch of the military that their respective academy is associated with. This is why many Army and Navy football players (and Air Force as well) are not often seen in the NFL. Having said that, players who attend United States Military Academies are able to apply for a waiver to play professional sports that would either postpone or nullify their commitment to enlist.

But, in some ways, that’s what makes this game so special. The historic rivalry is guys who will one day be serving the United States, which makes it all the more incredible to see.

Notable Army and Navy players who served and played in the NFL

Before 2019 when then-US President Donald Trump signed a new waiver and bill into existence that makes the path for service academy athletes to go professional in sports, it was much more difficult for these athletes to make their way to, in the case of football, to the NFL. There are two extremely notable players, however, who served in the military before then going into the NFL for phenomenal careers.

Former Navy Heisman Trophy winner and Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach first served four years in the United States Navy, including touring in the Vietnam War, before joining the Cowboys. He went on to lead Dallas to two Super Bowls and was inducted into Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

From West Point, longtime Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva graduated from Army in 2009 and went on to serve four years, including three separate tours in Afghanistan. He was a decorated member of the milatry but then went on to begin his NFL career as a defensive end with the Eagles before then switching to tackle and joining the Steelers, where he became a Pro Bowl bookend in Pittsburgh.

More recently, we've seen Navy quarterbacks Keenan Reynolds and Malcolm Perry be drafted into the NFL, albeit with limited success — and notable position changes to wide receiver — at the pro level.