Navy quarterback Blake Horvath is keeping impressive company these days.

ESPN ranks Horvath first nationally in total quarterback rating ahead of Heisman Trophy candidate Cam Ward of Miami and numerous other NFL prospects.

Horvath is the first Football Bowl Subdivision quarterback to rush for seven or more touchdowns and throw for seven or more touchdowns through four games since 2016 when Lamar Jackson did it for Louisville on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.

Horvath has been simply sensational so far this season while directing a Navy offense that is averaging 46 points and 466 total yards per game. He has gotten the job done with both his arm and legs while accounting for 1,100 total yards of offense and 15 touchdowns.

“I couldn’t be more impressed with the way Blake is playing. He’s operating at an extremely high level,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “He’s very comfortable with what we’re doing and is making great decisions. I can’t say enough good things about the way he’s played.”

Horvath leads Navy in rushing with 450 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging almost 10 yards per carry. He has completed 30 of 44 passes (68.2%) for 637 yards and seven scores. Most importantly, he has expertly directed Navy’s new Wing-T offense, mostly making all the right reads and doing a tremendous job of distributing the ball to the various playmakers.

“I’m very proud of the way Blake is playing. He’s exceeding all expectations,” first-year Navy offensive coordinator Drew Cronic said. “Blake has truly been a dual-threat quarterback and a real problem [for opponents]. His skill set fits perfectly with what we’re doing offensively.”

Now Horvath is set to play in his first service academy contest as Navy meets Air Force on Saturday in the first leg of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy series. Horvath understands the stakes, but is determined to enjoy the experience of playing in such an important game.

“I’m super-excited. The first goal in our entire organization is to bring the CIC Trophy back, so we’re all excited and anxious to get out there and play,” he said this week. “Being a service academy game, we always put so much stress on it. I just try to think back to when I was a little kid and remember how thankful I am just to be playing college football. I just want to play within myself and not press or try to do too much.”

Horvath has come a long way from this time last year when he was still a very much unproven commodity. He appeared in four games as a sophomore and showed flashes of ability while also making basic mistakes.

Horvath earned his first career start against North Texas on Oct. 7 and rushed for 88 yards before being knocked out of the game with a thumb injury. The Ohio native underwent surgery and missed the rest of the season.

With senior quarterbacks Xavier Arline and Tai Lavatai set to graduate, the competition for the starting job during spring camp was between Horvath and rising sophomore Braxton Woodson.

Cronic was hired as offensive coordinator in early January and he spent countless hours with the two young quarterbacks personally teaching them his version of Wing-T offense. Horvath had a solid spring camp and emerged atop the depth chart. He further solidified the starting job during August preseason practice, but still needed to get the job done in regular season games.

Nobody, certainly not Cronic nor Newberry, could have ever imagined Horvath would be this good, this fast.

“Blake is really smart and understands what we’re trying to do. He can handle a lot and is able to grasp concepts, absorb information,” Cronic said. “I think Blake feels very comfortable right now with what he’s being asked to do and the game is slowing down for him. He has the ability to play the position both from a physical and mental standpoint.”

Cronic admits he wasn’t sure how effective Horvath could be as a runner, but Horvath has proven a very dynamic running threat, gaining 10 yards or more 14 times already this season. He has displayed tremendous high-end speed in breaking loose for runs of 46, 60, 62 and 90 yards.

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize how good of a runner Blake was going to be. I knew he was fast and had ability, but you just never know,” Cronic said. “Blake has the ability to make cuts very quickly without slowing down. He’s sneaky elusive, explosive and gets to top speed quickly.”

A year ago, Navy’s offensive coaches considered Woodson a better passer than Horvath, who needed to improve his mechanics. He took it as a challenge to become a better thrower during the offseason and Cronic has been amazed by what he’s seen so far this season.

Horvath is averaging 21.2 yards per completion. He made a tremendous throw to hit speedy wide receiver Nathan Kent in stride for a 77-yard touchdown against UAB. He was equally accurate on a bomb to snipe Eli Heidenreich that picked up 51 yards and got Navy off its own goal line against Temple.

“Blake’s improvement as a passer is absolutely dramatic. He has gotten so much better fundamentally in terms of footwork and throwing motion as well as mentally in terms of seeing coverages,” Cronic said. “His accuracy and decision-making have really come a long way since the first practice in the spring.”

“It’s just knowing your progressions and knowing where the ball is going to go,” Horvath said. “I have great confidence and faith in our offensive line to protect and in our receivers to go make a play.”