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Virginia Military Institute is betting big on experience and offensive firepower to turn around one of college football's most struggling programs.
VMI announced Tuesday that Ashley Ingram will become the 34th head coach in program history, replacing Danny Rocco who resigned earlier this month after three disappointing seasons. Ingram brings 16 years of service academy experience from Navy and a proven track record of success as a head coach at Division II Carson-Newman.
"Coach Ingram's record of success at the Naval Academy and Carson Newman University are exceptional," said VMI Superintendent Lt. Gen. David Furness. "He will bring grit, tenacity, physical and mental toughness, and a winning attitude to our football program."
VMI's hire comes at a critical time for the program, which has struggled since Danny Rocco's promising 5-6 debut season in 2023. Over his three years in Lexington, the Keydets went just 7-28 overall and 5-19 in Southern Conference play, including back-to-back 1-11 seasons in 2024 and 2025. Their lone win in 2024 came against SoCon opponent Furman, while their only victory in 2025 was over Division II Ferrum.
Ingram spent 16 years at the United States Naval Academy from 2008 to 2023, working his way up from position coach to assistant head coach. Those years marked one of the most successful periods in Navy football history.
During his time in Annapolis, the Midshipmen made 10 bowl appearances, defeated Army 10 times, and won six Commander-in-Chief's trophies. However, his ability to make Navy's triple-option offense nearly unstoppable really set Ingram apart.
The numbers tell the story. Navy finished in the top five nationally in rushing yards eight times in 11 seasons under Ingram's guidance, averaging 286.3 yards per game on the ground. The offense peaked in 2015 and 2019, when the Midshipmen finished ranked in the top 20 nationally.
Former Navy head coach Ken Niumatalolo gave Ingram the ultimate compliment: "By far, the best coach I had in all my years at the Naval Academy."
Ingram also earned a reputation as Navy's top recruiter, which is no small feat given the unique challenges of recruiting to a service academy. He coached nine all-conference linemen, two American Athletic Conference Players of the Year, and 11 Academic All-Americans. Three of his players went on to the NFL: Keenan Reynolds (Ravens), Malcolm Perry (Dolphins), and Rayuan Lane III (Jaguars).
After leaving Navy in 2023, Ingram took over as head coach at Division II Carson-Newman. What he did there might be even more impressive than his Navy resume.
Ingram inherited a program that had gone 5-6 the previous season. In Year one, he led the Eagles to a 9-3 record and a 7-1 mark in South Atlantic Conference play, winning the SAC Mountain Division title. Carson-Newman made the NCAA playoffs for the first time under a first-year head coach in program history.
The Eagles' triple-option attack ranked fourth in the nation in rushing at 265.8 yards per game. Two players, Jayden Sullins and Major Williams, earned All-American honors.
Even in Year two, despite opponents having film and a full offseason to prepare, Ingram kept winning. Carson-Newman went 7-3 in 2025 and knocked off two nationally ranked opponents, Lenoir-Rhyne and Wingate.
Over two seasons, Ingram posted a 16-6 record (13-4 in conference play), the best start by any head coach in Carson-Newman history. He won his first seven games as head coach, the best start to a coaching career in program history.
"We certainly wish Ashley well as he and his family move to Lexington," Carson-Newman Athletic Director Matt Pope said Tuesday. "We are obviously sad to see him go, but grateful for the two years he spent with us here at Carson-Newman."
For longtime VMI fans, Ingram's hire represents more than just a new coach. It's a return to the offensive system that brought the program its greatest success.
The Keydets ran the triple option for decades. The system was a perfect fit for VMI's culture, emphasizing discipline, toughness, and teamwork over individual star power. It was an offense built for a military academy, a ground-and-pound system that controlled the clock and wore down opponents.
The program moved away from the triple option in the 2010s, adopting different offensive philosophies throughout the years. The shift away from the option coincided with VMI's decline into one of the nation's least successful programs.
Now, Ingram is bringing the triple option back to Post. It's a homecoming of sorts for an offensive system that once defined Keydet football. The question is whether modern recruits and opponents will respond the same way they did in the past, or whether Ingram's version of the offense can evolve with the times while maintaining its core principles.
VMI's offense is about to look completely different under Ingram. The numbers from this past season tell a rough story. VMI ranked 8th out of 9 teams in the Southern Conference in total offense at just 291.8 yards per game, good for 111th out of 126 FCS programs nationally. While the Keydets ranked 6th in the SoCon in passing (199.7 yards per game), they were 8th out of 9 teams in rushing at just 92.2 yards per game.
That's about to change in a major way.
At Carson-Newman this past season, Ingram's offense ranked 10th out of 157 Division II teams in rushing offense, averaging 245.7 yards per game. While the Eagles only averaged 101.4 passing yards per game (152nd nationally), they still put up 347.1 total yards per game, ranking 93rd in Division II.
The message is clear: VMI is going to run the football. A lot.
Ingram's triple-option offense is built on discipline, execution, and toughness, qualities that align perfectly with the military culture at VMI. But it also offers practical advantages for a program trying to compete in the FCS Southern Conference. The system controls the clock, keeps the opponent's offense off the field, and can help level the playing field against programs with more resources.
Most importantly for VMI, the triple-option doesn't require elite athletes at every position. It thrives on precision, teamwork, and physical play at the line of scrimmage, things that can be coached and developed.
"The product we put on the field will be a reflection of the ideals that make VMI so special," Ingram said. "We will be a tough, disciplined team that plays with relentless effort."
Make no mistake, Ingram faces one of the toughest rebuilding jobs in college football. VMI has had only one winning season since 1981, a 6-5 campaign in 2020. The program went 7-28 under Rocco from 2023 to 2025 before he resigned earlier this month.
But VMI's leadership believes they've found the right person for the job.
"Coach Ingram is committed to building a program, not just a team, that represents VMI with excellence on the field, in the classroom, on post and throughout the community," said VMI Athletic Director Jamaal Walton. "From the moment we began the process, it was evident that Coach Ingram embodies discipline, toughness, grit and a relentless competitive drive to be a champion."
The hiring process involved VMI's football council, Board of Visitors, and Keydet Club, showing how important this decision was to the entire institution.
Ingram's immediate challenges are significant. He needs to install his offensive system, evaluate the current roster, and hit the recruiting trail hard. His reputation as an elite recruiter who can sell a vision will be critical in the competitive Southern Conference.
VMI is betting that Ingram can recreate the success he found at Navy and Carson-Newman. Both programs thrived under his triple-option system, which emphasized physical play, discipline, and controlling the line of scrimmage.
The question now is whether a head coach who has never experienced a losing season can reverse the fortunes of a program that has known almost nothing but losing for two decades. If anyone can do it, VMI believes Ingram is the man.
For VMI fans starving for success, Ingram represents hope that better days are ahead. The rebuild won't be easy or quick, but the Keydets have found a coach who knows how to win and how to build winning programs from the ground up.
