Ditto Hoops - plenty of the varsity athletes we have sponsored over the years have enjoyed leadership roles in company, battalion, regiment, Brigade and Plebe Summer Regiment. I also enjoyed seeing many varsity athletes in leadership roles, usually during their off-season, when I was a BattO.
Squad leader, platoon commander, company commander/XO/OpsO/Trng O/Adj, are some of the most realistic deckplate leadership labs I have ever seen, most akin to a new division officer’s role in the Fleet or Corps.
Where there is a will, there is a way, though anyone struggling with grades will be carefully looked at. The high-striper positions can be huge time-suck jobs due to meetings, and USNA will not let anyone get in any position that could threaten graduation, class standing or service selection.
Of course, serious performance/military aptitude or misconduct issues can negatively impact competitiveness for those roles.
Of course, I fondly remember a sponsor daughter, a bit of a black sheep her first two years (she met all her friends at restricted muster), a varsity athlete, who cleaned up her act the last two years, made Supe’s List - and successfully competed for a role on Brigade Adjutant Staff on the basis she knew the conduct and performance system from both sides of the podium. The Dant and DepDant just loved that. [emoji16]