The Navy football team's uncertain quarterback situation gained a bit of clarity following last weekend's open practice in Annapolis, when Coach Brian Newberry and offensive coordinator Grant Chesnut revealed Tai Lavatai and Blake Horvath are both likely to play in the season opener.

The announcement following a spirited afternoon at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium came two weeks before the Midshipmen are set to face No. 13 Notre Dame in Dublin on Aug. 26 and amid a quarterback competition Newberry had been calling "wide open" since the spring.

"Kind of 1A and 1B right now," said Newberry, who is in his first season as head coach. "You want to feel good about at least two, maybe three guys that you can go and play with, and the nature of the position is it's hard for those guys to stay healthy all year, so I like where we're at."

Lavatai started the first eight games last year until a knee injury he suffered Oct. 29 against Temple derailed his season. The senior underwent surgery several weeks later and missed all of spring practice, leaving Horvath and Teddy Gleaton, both sophomores, to split first-team reps.

Xavier Arline started the final four games last year, including against Army when he rushed for 102 yards, but spent the majority of the spring recovering from an injury he suffered during lacrosse season. The senior played attack for the Midshipmen after being among the more heavily recruited high school lacrosse prospects in the country.

Lavatai was listed third on the quarterback depth chart at the start of preseason camp but has put himself in position to regain the starting job by quickly getting back into football shape after a lengthy stretch of inactivity while recovering from his knee procedure.

Lavatai has started all 18 games in which he has appeared for the Midshipmen. Last year, he rushed for 309 yards and five touchdowns, passed for 787 yards and five touchdowns and became the first Navy player since 2019 to amass 100 yards rushing and passing in a game.

"I'm very pleased with Tai from a standpoint that he's been running around very well, changing direction very well," quarterbacks coach Ivin Jasper said. "He's a very polished thrower, and option-wise he's a very solid technician as far as operation of the offense."

With Lavatai on the mend in the spring, Horvath and Gleaton received extensive tutoring on the intricacies of the triple option that Navy has deployed through multiple coaching administrations. Among the components most strongly emphasized were checks at the line of scrimmage and ball security.

But Horvath has separated himself since camp began July 26, coaches said, particularly with respect to his throwing fundamentals and decision-making on passing plays. The Midshipmen are adding wrinkles to the triple option to include more passing plays as Chesnut settles into his first season as offensive coordinator.

Arline has been lining up at slot back during camp, part of an experiment Newberry indicated is designed to get the Midshipmen's most elusive and experienced players on the field at the same time.

Navy is scheduled to conduct a mock game Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium after which a starter, under ideal circumstances, will be named, according to Newberry and his staff.

"I would expect to be playing two quarterbacks" against Notre Dame, Chesnut said. "I don't mind saying that publicly right now. I feel like both of those guys are progressing in a good direction, and I think at the moment they both can help our football team. As far as who ultimately ends up starting, we're still battling that out."