Backup center Eric Cal received good news on two fronts last week.

On Thursday, it was announced that Cal was one of three Navy football players named Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Cal, along with slotback Travis Brannan and defensive end Marcus Edwards, is now eligible to earn Academic All-American honors.

While a tremendous honor, that paled in comparison to Cal learning he had been accepted to one of the medical schools to which he had applied. The North Carolina native is waiting to hear from a few other medical schools before deciding upon his next destination.

Asked a couple weeks ago which medical school would be his first choice, Cal was in no position to be choosy.

“Right now, I’m not accepted to any,” he said. “My No. 1 is the one that accepts me. If my biggest problem is picking between medical schools, that’s a problem I’m perfectly OK with.”

It appears the 6-foot-3, 268-pound senior will have to make a decision, although the heavy lifting has already been done. By far the biggest hurdle was being granted a medical school billet by the United States Navy, a decision that was made a while ago.

“That was done in advance so we can get the whole application process rolling,” Cal explained. “You have to be approved for the billet so the academy can send out recommendations to medical schools saying we endorse this candidate.”

Cal had to pass the Medical College Admission Test to be considered for the billet before mbarking on a series of interviews with those schools to which he applied.

“All the work comes up front as far as studying for classes, taking exams, doing the MCAT and performing community service,” he said. “It’s a process and, just like football, you have to put in the work up front, then hope it pays off in the end.”

Cal will start medical school shortly after graduating from the Naval Academy in May 2020. He must then complete a residency before becoming a doctor in the U.S. Navy. He must serve a total of nine years — the mandatory five-year military commitment required of all service academy graduates along with four years as payback for being sent to medical school.

As a Navy doctor, Cal could find himself attached to a Marine Corps unit or stationed aboard the USNS Comfort, which has a home port of Norfolk, Virginia, and is currently anchored off the coast of Columbia in order to provide medical services for Venezuelan refugees.

“You can help the men and women who are putting their lives at risk for the freedom of American people or you can go out and serve our allies and others that are in need of assistance,” Cal said.

Cal is a product of Providence Day School, where he was a three-sport athlete (football, track and field, wrestling). The Waxhaw, North Carolina, native was a two-time, first team all-state selection in football and also took recruiting visits to Air Force and Army. Paul Cal played rugby at Army and no doubt hoped his son might choose the United States Military Academy.

Eric Cal earned a remarkable three-part SAT score of 2,220 — posting perfect marks in the both the math and English portions.

“My parents really stressed academics to me — that’s one of the main reasons why I came to the Naval Academy,” Cal said. “You get to play great football and also get a great education. You can take some really challenging classes taught by some of the best professors in the country. You get a chance to excel at truly being a student-athlete.”

Elite company: Navy senior punter Owen White has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2019 Ray Guy Award by the Augusta Sports Council. The 5-10, 197-pound senior was chosen from an initial field of 78 nominated candidates.

Candidates were evaluated by the Ray Guy Award committee based on their overall statistics and contribution to the team. Particular emphasis was placed on net punting average, number of times a punt was downed or kicked out of bounds inside the opponents’ 20, total yardage punted, average returned yardage and percentage of punts not returned. Also, the winner must display team leadership, self-discipline and have a positive impact on the team’s success.

White is having a sensational season, averaging 44.3 yards per punt with a long of 61 yards. The Portland, Oregon, native has just one touchback, has pinned the opposition inside the 20 on 14 occasions, has forced nine fair catches and boasts six punts of 50 yards or more. Opponents have been able to return just nine of White’s punts for a total 29 yards (3.2 yards per return).

Perry honor: Senior quarterback Malcolm Perry has been announced as one of 16 semifinalists for the 2019 Davey O’Brien Award. He is one of three remaining candidates from the American Athletic Conference along with Shane Buechele of SMU and Brady White of Memphis.

Other semifinalists are Charlie Brewer (Baylor), Joe Burrow (LSU), Sam Ehlinger (Texas), Justin Fields (Ohio State), Jake Fromm (Georgia), Anthony Gordon (Washington State), Justin Herbert (Oregon), Tyler Huntley (Utah), Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), Tanner Morgan (Minnesota), Brock Purdy (Iowa State) and Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama).

Perry has accounted for 1,917 yards of total offense and 21 touchdowns through nine games. His 16 rushing TDs are fourth in the nation and most by a quarterback, while his 128.8 rushing yards per game is fifth in the country and most among quarterbacks.