Let the one-year Kriss Proctor Era begin at Navy.

The senior-to-be, who has shown flashes of real brilliance when called on to start at quarterback, now has the No. 1 job and will be the man leading Navy to what the academy hopes will be its ninth straight eight-win season and ninth straight bowl game.

And, as they say, success begets success, and coach Ken Niumatalolo was excited about the new group of players he will have available for the 2011 season.

"I feel very good about this class," he said on Signing Day. "I really like the players we got from an athletic standpoint. We got good speed at the positions where that matters and good size among the linemen we landed."

The academies don't officially announce their classes until appointments are all taken care of, limiting how specific the coaches can be, but it's clear Navy has things rolling.

"There's no doubt the success we've had and the exposure we've gotten has helped with recruiting," said Niumatalolo. "We have instant credibility from a football standpoint. When we go out recruiting these days, people know about Navy."

The Midshipmen had an amazing number -- 56 -- of recruits coming in, with many of them headed for the Navy Prep School.

TOP OF THE CLASS

DT Bernie Sarra (Greensburg Central Catholic H.S., Greensburg, Pa.) -- A rare three-start recruit for the academy bring his 6-foot-2 1/2, 305-pound frame to Annapolis.

DE Peter Igras (Notre Dame Prep, Scottsdale, Az.) -- The Defensive Player of the Year in Phoenix was in on 113 tackles, including 13 sacks, in his senior season.

FB Quentin Ezell (Walkersville H.S., Walkersville, Md.) -- You've got to like a kid who runs for 3,041 yards and 35 touchdowns in his high school career.

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