As Salti notes, this is not unusual.
This could be a momentary and transitory dip (one of many) - SAs are designed to suck, it’s getting cold and dark earlier, Plebe summer seems easy in retrospect, realization there are more than 3.5 years left of what seems like an awful endless grind, they realize there are a ton of people who seem effortlessly smarter, more athletic and militarily adept, he is mentally exhausted. Or it could be the real thing, he realizes it’s not his path, and he starts actively making other plans.
Express your faith in him and his ability to figure this out, and you will be happy to hear him talk it through at Christmas. Encourage him to work hard at his academics, so if it comes to pass he decides to leave, he may have transferable credits. IMHO don’t go and visit, just listen and listen as he talks it through and works it out like the young adult he is. Ask him about anything funny that happened this week.
The trick is to sort out is he running FROM something, or TOWARD something. If he is running toward something different now, he will begin to take active steps to leave, apply elsewhere, make plans, etc.
If he does put in a formal request for separation, it doesn’t happen overnight. He will be counseled by the COC, who are familiar with the transient feelings vs truly-not-for-me state.
Encourage him to take advantage of the chaplains, regardless of faith group. They are skilled in counseling mids, and this is a familiar situation. Everything he says to them is completely confidential, unless he poses a danger to himself or others. There are also trained counselors at the Midshipman Development Center, same confidentiality rules. There is no shame in using them.
Counseling Services Home page for Midshipmen Development Center at USNA.edu. Updated Tue Jan 09 10:15:27 EST 2024.
www.usna.edu
Contact the Chaplain Center page for Chaplains Center at USNA.edu. Updated Wed Nov 15 07:38:26 EST 2023.
www.usna.edu
Many, many parents over the years here have posted similarly to you, and many have reported the mood upswings and downswings, within short periods, as being typical.
Ask him open-ended questions designed to help him think about this: Has your motivation to serve as an officer changed? Tell me about why you think this is not your path. What things have you tried to deal with the stress? Is there anything in particular that is frustrating you? How will you resolve that or work around it? Remind me of what you wrote in your application essay about why USNA was the place for you. What has changed? Do you think you will be able to adjust? And so on.
Some personality types don’t cope well at first. If he has some introverted traits, he probably feels like people are on top of him all the time in a shared room, so many things done in a group, and limited time to re-charge in blessed peace. Is his self-confidence being shaken after getting lower grades than perhaps he has seen before? And, finally, has he realized that despite all the shiny videos and glossy websites, his fellow mids and the leadership have feet of clay, as does he, and it’s not Camelot? For those with stars in their eyes, the human reality of USNA can hit hard. He can still take pride in that as an institution, it aspires to a high standard, and many times it attains it, more than other places he could have chosen to be part of.
Take a breath. This may be a moment-to-moment approach to getting through it, no matter how it all turns out.