Army-Navy game is ‘college football at its purest form’ amid NIL era, sponsor’s CEO says

NIL is running hotter and heavier than ever before – but there are two teams that are unable to participate.

Of course, those schools are Army and Navy – as USAA CEO Wayne Peacock puts it, it’s a “one-way portal” into the academies.

We just saw Bryce Underwood flip his commitment from LSU to Michigan for seven figures – even the potential No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft in A.J. Dybantsa committed to BYU after reportedly receiving a $5 million offer in NIL money.

Obviously, the players in the academies are unable to go that route if they go to either Army or Navy. But, with the 125th edition of the Army-Navy game set to kick off on Saturday afternoon just outside of the nation’s capital, Peacock says that’s what makes the annual event that much more special.

“The way I think about this, especially in this age of the portal and NIL, this is college football at its purest form. When these guys are out on the field, they are competing like they are in battle, and they’re competing against each other like they’re in battle.

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“But what’s so special, after the game, they’re going to come together, march down the respective ends of the stadium, they’re going to sing each other’s alma mater, and they’re going to put on the uniform of the United States. They’re going to defend our country, defend our freedom, and that to me is so spectacular about these individuals and about this game.”

“There’s only a one-way portal into Army and Navy,” added Peacock. “But what they find are these student-athletes that want to play, but also want to do something more than just play, and that to me is what makes it so special. But their ability to put competitive teams on the field in this environment also speaks to something that we don’t talk about a lot. And that’s the power of teamwork and culture.”

USAA announced Friday that it will remain the only presenting sponsor of the game through the 2030 edition, a title it has held since 2009.

Army is ranked 22nd in the nation with their 11-1 record – while Navy is on the outside looking in, they are 8-3.

The Black Knights have won six of the last eight meetings after the Midshipmen had taken home 16 of the previous 17.

Navy leads the all-time series, 62-55-7.

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