We Found Him: This Has To Be Bill Belichick’s Favorite Navy Player

FOXBORO, Mass. — Xavier Arline hasn’t met Bill Belichick. But if he were to have the chance, it’s fair to believe Arline and Belichick would have plenty to talk about.

Arline is a two-sport athlete at the United States Naval Academy. A senior quarterback, he will lead the Navy Midshipmen against the Army Black Knights when the 124th edition of America’s Game kicks off at Gillette Stadium on Dec. 9.

Arline also plays lacrosse for the Midshipmen, and said he is the only dual-sport athlete at the academy.

“I’m hoping. I’m telling you, I’m hoping,” Arline told NESN.com at Army-Navy Media Day on Wednesday when asked about meeting the longtime New England Patriots head coach. “I was hoping he would notice.”

It’s well-documented Belichick is a lacrosse enthusiast. Belichick, who received the key to the City of Annapolis in April 2021, also has deep ties to the Naval Academy. His late father, Steve Belichick, served in the Navy and coached the football program for more than 30 years.

Arline himself hails from the lacrosse hotbed of Long Island, N.Y. and attended Shoreham-Wading River High School. He was the No. 5 recruit in the country and initially committed to North Carolina to play lacrosse. Arline said Virginia, Notre Dame and Duke were some of his other options for lacrosse.

“Ultimately I wanted to play big-time and be able to do both,” Arline said.

The Naval Academy was not the only place he could have played both sports. He had that option at Virginia and Notre Dame, as well. But those were under different conditions: Arline would have been a preferred walk-on for the football program and would have switched from quarterback to slot receiver.

Given the 5-foot-9 Arline played quarterback his whole life, and watched Malcolm Perry’s successful collegiate career as Navy’s quarterback, the opportunity the academy presented was too good to pass up.

“At the time, it was the right spot for me to fulfill all my dreams and goals of playing two sports, being able to be a part of something bigger than myself and set myself up for the future,” Arline said. “So it all just kind of worked out that way.”

Arline admitted there’s been times he questioned his decision. Those who attend the academies have a much different college experience, after all. Especially those who play a sport — or in Arline’s case, two — on top of all their other responsibilities.

“We’re just non-stop,” he said. “It’s nonstop and there are a lot of things that you don’t want to do. There’s a lot of things that you might want to put your time in other places that you just can’t because you have other obligations that are, on your table of priorities, more important.”

But even with the adversity Arline has faced during his athletic career at Navy, he entered his senior football season third on the depth chart, and the fact everything he does is judged and ranked by his superiors, Arline wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world,” Arline said.

Arline recalled when Belichick spoke to the Midshipmen lacrosse team before its game against Army in April 2021. Arline now hopes he’ll have the opportunity to hear from the future Hall of Fame football coach before kick off Dec. 9.