The award-winning “Listen In With KNN” podcast and radio show special audio episode 250 gave a salute to service as host and executive producer Kelsey Nicole Nelson spoke down with Navy Outreach Director Captain Gervy Alota and Navy Talent Acquisition Executive Officer, Commander Tyree Barnes.
For the next 35 minutes, the trio discussed the rise of Midshipmen football and their own playing days at the academy. They also shared what the Navy offers and highlighted military career paths.
The interview begins as Nelson welcomes Commander Barnes and Captain Alota. Both were fresh off a Radio Row appearance during Super Bowl LIX media weekend. A trip to New Orleans that both Barnes and Alota had a lot of enjoyment for.
The talk then shifted to Navy football’s storybook 10-3 season. It included a 31-13 win over Army and ended with a 21-20 Armed Forces Bowl victory over Oklahoma.
A season that would snap a four-year streak of finishing under .500. Alota and Barnes took great pride in this Midshipmen season. They watched Navy overcome many challenges to get there.
“Man it means everything to me personally, I mean, just to see them struggle like post-COVID, having issues with recruitment, NIL, transfer portal, you name it…And then just to close out the season against Oklahoma and the SEC team in Texas, and just coming back and watching that game. I mean, it really talks about the team, the chemistry, the grit, the resiliency, just the fight that they had and they displayed all year long. It was amazing” Alota said.
A Winning Tradition in Annapolis
Winning is nothing new for Navy football. Both Commander Barnes and Captain Alota enjoyed plenty of success during their time in Annapolis.
Captain Alota, currently a Joint War Planning Officer for the Third Fleet, was a standout player for Navy football. Being a rare four-year letterwinner at the Academy at defensive back for the Midshipmen. He became a team captain his senior year and wore that title with pride. That season, he led the team with 105 tackles. He would play alongside Special Warfare Officer and Naval Academy graduate, Clint Bruce.
Alota and Bruce were able to reach success during their tenure at Navy. Leading the team to a 9-3 record and winning the Aloha bowl against University of California-Berkeley in 1996. The Midshipmen first bowl victory since the 80’s.
“So we turned that program around. We went from, I think my freshman year, we won like four games. [Bruce] still bitter by the fact that he never beat Army, but he’s the sole reason why Navy football turned around,” Alota said.
Alota made history his senior year. He led the Midshipmen to their first winning record since the early 80s. He became a sailor mainly because of football. The Navy gave him the chance to keep playing the sport he loves.
“I found it because of football. So the Navy gave me an opportunity to play the great game of football. And that’s why I give everything that I owe to football.”
Alota was inducted into the Naval Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998.
Barnes on His Navy Football Career
Commander Tyree Barnes attended the academy in the mid 2000s. At the time, Navy was becoming the cream of the crop in military football. Winning games against Air Force and Army, also four bowl appearances.
Barnes made himself a viable passing target in a Navy triple option system. He made 42 catches for 827 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns with the Midshipmen. Along the way, he earned three varsity letters. Barnes then took his talents to the NFL. He made the New England Patriots training camp roster as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
“We were right on the turn. We just had good athletes. We had people who came there who just wanted to show up and do a good job.” Barnes said.
Playing for the academy is an honor. It also gives hardworking servicemen a team to cheer for on Saturdays.
“People are pulling on you to win every day. And when you win it, they get a little bit of those smiles come a little more often,” Commander Barnes said.
Raising the Bar for Recruits
Nelson asked the two officers if Navy’s athletic success raises interest from recruits. Sports are a viable avenue for military academies as they prepare recruits to serve the country off the field. With the lessons taught in team sports being translatable to military life and duty. As Captain Alota describes, it’s having a “winners mindset.”
“If you can establish yourself as a winner, surround yourself with a team full of winners, then that’s going to just be infectious and it’s going to carry with you for the rest of your life. I think that’s what they’re trying to breed at the Naval Academy,” Alota said.
For Commander Barnes, the biggest takeaway from playing at the Naval academy was the importance of being a team. A lesson taught to him by head coaches Paul Johnson and Ken Niumatalolo during Barnes four year career.
“Everybody wants to be a winner. But the team aspect of that as well. That stuck with me from the moment I showed up there as a plebe, and I understood that, hey, my squad leader is in it for me, right? These peers that I have beside me, these other 17 and 18-year-old scared, crazy people, you know, we’re all going through this together. But at the end of the day, we’re a team.”
Alota and Barnes have been able to pass their experiences down to the next generation of their families.
Captain Alota saw his daughter graduate from the Academy in 2022. She is now deployed as a surface warfare officer.
Commander Barnes has a young daughter who’s a competitive dancer and loves bonding with her father by practicing with him. No matter how many tries it takes for Barnes to nail one of her many moves.
From Recruiting to Talent Acquisition
The discussion then shifted as Nelson asked Barnes to explain how the Navy recruits. It now calls that part of the branch talent acquisition.
Navy leaders moved away from the word recruiting for a reason. Recruiting is still the task, but the end goal is to find the best talent and develop it further.
“We’re not just recruiting, it’s not just a number that’s there. We want to make sure that we’re finding the war fighters that are regularly ready to get to these ships, these submarines, these aircraft carriers and win. That’s our ultimate goal,” Barnes said.
Barnes recognizes that fewer families today have veterans in their family trees. So the Navy works to show young people that Navy life can lead to success. Building connections with high school counselors, principals and parents is key.
“They’re in all the places where we need to show them, ‘Hey, the Navy does amazing things and you can take your life as far as you want to go.’ Just give us a chance, just log on and figure out exactly what we’re doing, and we’ll do the rest, whether it’s four years or 20 years.”
Results From the New Approach
These methods have paid off quickly. The Navy signed 40,978 new recruits by the end of 2024. Their highest mark in the last 20 years. The Navy kept that momentum going in 2025. It signed another 14,000 recruits and shipped over 12,000 sailors in the first four months.
Alota includes how the vast amount of occupations in the Navy played a pivotal role towards recruiting milestones.
“When you think how exciting it is to join something bigger than yourself, why not do it through the Navy? I mean, we offer so many different opportunities, whether you want to be a nuclear engineer or aviation mechanic, or even something like as a chaplain, you name it. We probably offer it,” said Alota describing the multiple pathways to establishing a future career in the Navy.
Reaching Young People on Social Media
Captain Alota grew his social media brand through appearances on shows like Wheel of Fortune and Fear Factor. He was given a golden opportunity of creating new and fun outlets to spread the Navy’s message.
The plan started during Covid, when a young sailor suggested he start an Instagram account. A perfect place for Alota to showcase his energetic personality.
This would lead to Alota posting content that would celebrate sailors and promote the activities happening on his ship. That promotion would evolve into putting the spotlight on the great things being done throughout the entire branch.
“I really have fun with it. And, you know, it’s gotten to the point where I try to take myself out of it and just showcase the sailors and all the amazing things that they’re doing.” Alota said.
Captain Alota and Commander Barnes explained that connecting with young people means meeting them in their own spaces. Social media has been a great pipeline for that.
Why Consider a Navy Career
To close the interview, Commander Barnes and Captain Alota shared why you should consider the Navy as a career.
For Alota, the Navy supports you every step of the way if you know your life goals. It is also a valuable resource for those who are not sure what the future holds.
For Barnes, the military leaves politics at the door in today’s climate. Its sole focus is the mission of keeping the United States safe. They are looking to add more members to this nationwide family of servicemen and survive, whether active duty or reserves.
“There’s so many things that you can positively do to be a part of something bigger than yourself, to support our country, defend our freedom in the Navy, and have fun doing it. Just say go Navy, with a smile on your face, and we can do the rest.”
If you’re interested in further information about the Navy, go to www.navy.com
To listen to the full show, check it out below.
To listen to the full show on Spotify.
