Navy offensive coordinator Ivin Jasper was fired by athletic director Chet Gladchuk after Saturday’s loss to Air Force, but Jasper has since returned to the staff to continue coaching the team's quarterbacks.

Head coach Ken Niumatalolo revealed the news at Monday’s press conference, first confirming the initial reports that it was Gladchuk’s decision to fire Jasper, who has been on Navy’s staff for 22 years over two stints. Gladchuk himself has been the AD for 20 years.

Navy is 0-2 this season, having scored just 10 points. The Midshipmen have scored two touchdowns in their last five games, dating back to last season.

“Chet wasn’t happy with the way things transpired, and he’s the leader of our department,” Niumatalolo said. “He made the decision after the game that he would let coach Jasper go. None of us were happy (with the result) — there’s a lot of emotion after a game, losing to a rival.”

But Niumatalolo said he asked Gladchuk to reconsider, citing everything Jasper has done with the program. For many years, Niumatalolo hoped Jasper would replace him as head coach one day. The two have been connected at the hip since the early 1990s when Jasper played at Hawaii while Niumatalolo was on staff as a graduate assistant.

Niumatalolo also emphasized to Gladchuk that he is already heavily involved in the offense. Niumatalolo will call the plays moving forward.

“I asked Mr. Gladchuk to reconsider because of who (Jasper) is, and I didn’t think it was the right thing to do,” Niumatalolo said. “Chet wants changes, though. He doesn’t like where we’re at. I get it. We’re struggling on offense. … It was an unfortunate situation. There’s some emotion involved. We lost a big game. Some things happen in the locker room, but cooler heads have prevailed.”

Niumatalolo added: “We have a better chance if (Jasper) is with us. He’s the best option coach around.”

Former Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds, who set FBS records for career rushing yards by a quarterback and career rushing touchdowns with Jasper as his coach, tweeted Monday, "This whole situation infuriates me for a number of reasons. You can’t un-ring the bell." Reynolds was also named the offensive player of the year in the AAC in 2015.

It wasn’t the only news regarding changes to Navy's coaching staff on Monday. During the press conference, offensive assistant Billy Ray Stutzmann tweeted that he had been relieved of his duties by the Naval Academy for his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine. Stutzmann said he had applied for a religious exemption.

(Photo: Williams Paul / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

What’s gone wrong with Navy football?

Vannini: It’s been a very up-and-down few years for the Navy program. The Midshipmen played in 14 bowl games in 15 years from 2003-17. They dipped to a 3-10 record in 2018, followed by an 11-win season in 2019 as Malcolm Perry broke the single-season quarterback rushing record, but fell back to three wins in 2020.

Navy won the Commander In Chief’s Trophy against Army and Air Force 10 times from 2003-15 but has won it just once since. The Midshipmen have lost four of their last five against Army and now four of their last six against Air Force. Navy’s 36 rushing yards against Air Force last Saturday were the program’s fewest in a game since 2002.

In Week 1 against Marshall, Navy rushed for 337 yards and 4.4 yards per carry, but two turnovers, a missed field goal and two fourth-down stops slowed the Navy offense in a 49-7 loss. Against Air Force, the Midshipmen couldn’t get anything going.

“There’s a reason I’ve been in this profession for a long time because I know what this profession is about,” Niumatalolo said. “This is a freaking ruthless profession. It will spit you out in a heartbeat. I’ve been coaching 31 years, I know what this business is about. … I didn’t need anybody to tell me anything and our coaches didn’t. We know we need to get better, and we want to keep fighting.”

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What happened with Stutzmann?

Vannini: Two weeks ago, the Capital Gazette reported Stutzmann had not been working in an on-field coaching role during fall camp in August. Now we know why, and he is no longer with Navy after refusing to get vaccinated.

At AAC conference media days on Aug. 4, Niumatalolo said the Navy team was 100 percent vaccinated. Asked about Stutzmann on Monday, Niumatalolo wouldn’t get into the personal reasons for Stutzmann’s decision but wished him well.

“It’s a big loss for us,” Niumatalolo said. “He’s added a lot for our program. We wish him and his wife luck. He’s got a bright future in this profession.”

The Navy requires vaccination for all active-duty personnel by late November or December.

“Of note, all Navy COVID deaths have been individuals not immunized (one individual was partially vaccinated),” Navy officials wrote in an Aug. 31 message, per USNI.org. “In consideration of this persistent health and readiness threat to Navy service members, vaccination against COVID-19 is now mandatory.”