Tom and Cynthia Sessi, the parents of talented Navy senior safety and co-captain
Giuseppe Sessi, realized early on that their son was an unusually precocious child.
When Giuseppe was 4 years old, his parents discovered he could carry on an actual discussion with them and other adults. His parents recall some of those chats from long ago as extended, back-and-forth exchanges. Their preschool child was too curious, detail-oriented and just plain smart to settle for less.
It was as if he was born older. The kid already had acquired the gift of gab.
"It was remarkable. And not normal," Tom Sessi said. "My friends – businessmen, lawyers, whoever – would talk to him and say things to me like, 'This is unbelievable.' Giuseppe still sounded like a little kid, but with the demeanor to have a legitimate conversation. As he grew, he always seemed to be a step ahead of everybody."
The young Sessi also would later reveal, among other things, his compassionate side and the natural ability to address a roomful of his fellow students or teammates without a hint of fear.
One particular experience is sealed in Cynthia Sessi's memory. She recalled her son's first-grade year, during which she would pick up him and his sister, Isabella, at a Catholic elementary school in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas, well after the final bell had sounded.
"They stayed after school in an extended day program, due to my job, and Giuseppe had a friend named Miguel in his class," Cynthia Sessi said. "Miguel had cerebral palsy. He walked with a limp. He wasn't really fast on the playground. Just a nice, sweet boy."
When Sessi's mother arrived to take her children home, the teacher watching over the group of youngsters pulled her aside to pass along some interesting news about her son.
The teacher had noticed some of the other boys insulting Miguel because he was not as fast as the others. Before the teacher could intervene on Miguel's behalf, Giuseppe stepped up to defend him. He saw to it that Miguel was included in the playground activities.
"The teacher made it a point to tell me that my son was so nice and so protective. Giuseppe had taken care of it," Cynthia Sessi said. "That was the first moment when I thought this kid doesn't care what other people say. He is going to do what is right, on his own. He was good at bonding and connecting with others. He is a great listener."
Then there was the time Sessi, as an eighth-grade player and leader on a football team that had just finished an undefeated season, stood on a bench in the locker room and delivered a brief, uplifting speech to his teammates. He recognized how the team would be changing the following year in high school.
According to his mother, Giuseppe said, "We don't know if we're going to make the [freshman or junior varsity] team next year. But we are brothers forever."
Growing up, Sessi excelled academically, socially and athletically. By the time he entered Ronald Reagan High School, he was poised to become a three-sport star — as a sprinter on the track team, a combination guard on the basketball court and a free safety on the football field.
As a junior, Sessi set school records in the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter relays. He remains one of the fastest players on the Navy football roster, having surpassed 22 mph multiple times, according to Catapult data.
He lettered three times in basketball — once his true love among sports — and led Reagan High to district titles as a junior and senior.
Sessi also lettered three times in football, with an eye on playing at the FBS level, and led the varsity football team to district titles in his sophomore and senior seasons. He started at safety for three consecutive years. It is rare in Texas, especially at the Class 6A level, for a sophomore to start on the varsity squad.
"When he was a freshman [at Reagan High], we thought Giuseppe would be playing college basketball," Tom Sessi said. "When he realized he could compete at a higher level in football [as a sophomore], that's when it flipped for him."
Sessi was a three-time all-district football selection at safety. As a senior, he also earned Class 6A third-team all-state honors and served as captain of the football team.
"Giuseppe was just an amazing student-athlete. You knew this dude, even in middle school, was a special kid, highly respected by his teammates," said Greg Griffin, Reagan High School's former defensive coordinator and secondary coach, who spent 28 years coaching football.
"He really understood the game and the defensive concepts we were installing, even as a sophomore, which is rare," Griffin added. "Sessi got everybody lined up on the back end and was very vocal, similar to what he's doing at Navy. When you talk about the level of student-athlete, a great attitude, leadership qualities, and being just a good human you'd like your daughter to date, he's probably the number one guy I've ever coached."
Eric Lewis, Navy's defensive coordinator, who also coaches the Midshipmen's safeties, loves the gifts Sessi brings to the team.
Lewis touts Sessi's knowledge as the leader of the defensive backfield, relaying defensive calls and making sure the secondary is aligned properly. He also praises Sessi's impressive speed, solid tackling and toughness. Sessi has played through numerous ailments over the past three years after not seeing the field as a freshman because of hamstring problems following Plebe Summer.
Lewis also admires Sessi's innate ability to relate to and get to know teammates on various levels, a quality that has helped make him a popular defensive captain.
"[Sessi] has a unique skill set. He has played a lot of football here for several years. But his real talent is communication," Lewis said. "He can pull guys aside and speak to them individually, if that's what they need. Or he can be a little forceful and confrontational, if needed. Being a captain is an honor. But it's about getting along with a wide variety of guys of different ages from different backgrounds."
"I feel like everyone here is a leader. The Naval Academy is a leadership laboratory. You don't have to be given some sort of title to lead," Sessi said. "I look at it like we have a team full of co-captains. After our Air Force loss, a lot of guys really stepped up in practice. I think they all helped us to bounce back and beat Tulsa. But we are obviously not where we want to be at this point in the season. It's pretty frustrating."
"It's easier to lead when we're winning and everybody is all happy. It's harder to lead when we're on the path we've been on this year," he added. "I think you have to stay the course. We still have a set of values here, what we see as important. We have to stick to that, no matter what the wins and losses look like. I think that's important."
Junior cornerback/safety
Phillip Hamilton holds Sessi in high regard. He appreciates the way Sessi leads and how personable and honest he is, whether he's picking up a player or telling him something he probably doesn't want to hear.
Most of all, Hamilton admires the football journey Sessi has traveled as a Midshipman.
"I remember when I came here [direct], we had a lot of safeties," said Sessi, who ended up on the scout team. "I got injured and did not dress that year. I recall thinking I was never going to play here. It's something I can look back on and be proud of – where I started and where I finished, although I'm not quite finished yet."
"Sessi has gone through the ranks of being a Navy football player," Hamilton said. "He's been the lowest plebe on the depth chart. He's gone from a scout team guy to a guy who played a bit [as a sophomore], to last year when he had to lead and be on the green dot getting the calls and calling out checks, to now."
"Sessi has never been afraid to call guys out, but he never separates himself from us," he added. "He is very personable, joking around in the locker room and making himself available all the time. He's fully immersed in this team. He remains one of the guys."
Senior snipe
Isaiah Bryant also vouches for Sessi's leadership style. Bryant has seen Sessi offering advice to a troubled player in a nearly empty locker room. On multiple occasions while watching film with Sessi, Bryant has seen the captain call a fellow player to pass along a suggestion.
"One of the best traits of a leader is to be authentic. Sessi is fully invested in everybody's success," said Bryant, who is fascinated by Sessi's ability to engage seemingly with anyone.
"If you walk with him to class, or just out in town, you'd be surprised by how many people he knows," Bryant added. "And I'm not talking about a surface level of knowledge. It's people you can tell he has had genuine, meaningful conversations with. He is really good at listening. He does not forget people."
Sessi enjoyed his hard-earned breakout season in 2025, when he finished second on the team with 81 tackles (50 solo) to help the Mids tie the program record with 11 wins while winning their second consecutive Commander-In-Chief's Trophy.
The story has been different thus far in 2026, although Navy head coach
Brian Newberry still gives Sessi high marks. He ranks third on the team with 42 tackles, including a team second-best 20 solo stops. He also has notched his first career interception and added a pair of pass breakups.
"It doesn't matter if we're 7-0 or 2-5. [Sessi] is just solid," Newberry said. "As a coach, you appreciate smart, reliable and consistent. He's broken both thumbs and played with a cast on each arm. He understands the entirety of what we're doing defensively. He cares about his guys, wants to lift them up. He always seems to be in the right place, and he gets people tackled."
Sessi is focused on doing what he can to help Navy turn things around in the season's home stretch. He also cannot ignore the fact that his time as a Midshipman is running out.
Sessi, who entered the fall with a 3.12 GPA, will graduate in May with a degree in quantitative economics. He is aiming to become a naval flight officer.
"I was recently thinking about the first time I played organized football, back in middle school, wearing pads that were too big for me and pants going down to my shins. I'm trying to soak it all in and enjoy the moments with my brothers. I try not take things for granted," he said.
"You come here and you struggle, and you have success and you struggle again, and have more success with your guys," he added. "By the time you get to the end, you have a lot of great friendships. I am grateful for that."
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