Army Black Knights College Football Preview 2026
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It’s great to have high expectations at Army.
In just two years in a conference – after 19 seasons as an independent – head coach Jeff Monken put together 21 wins and two bowl victories, but there’s room to do even more.
Last year’s 7-6 team lost to Navy in a 17-16 heartbreaker, lost to CFP-bound Tulane by one score, dropped the home date to Tulsa by one, and gave away losses to North Texas and Tarleton State.
With an unflappable offensive style and just enough talent back on defense to be fine, it’s okay to dream of winning the American Conference and going to the College Football Playoff.
Army Quick Hits
- Head Coach: Jeff Monken (13th season, 89-63)
- Best Case / Worst Case: Win the AAC Championship/Go 6-6 with a bowl trip
- Key Player: Cale Hellums, QB Sr.
- 2025 Record: 7-6
- Biggest Question: Can Army do a better job of controlling games?
– American Conference Win Total Predictions
Army Key 2025 Stats
- Rushing Yards: Army 3,314, Opponents 1,991
- 2nd Quarter Scoring: Army 109, Opponents 57
- Penalties: Opponents 63 for 488 yards, Army 34 for 285 yards
Offense
You know what’s coming, but it’s just a question of how well Army can do what it does.
It’s going to run the ball, crank up the downfield passes to catch defenses napping, try to hold on to the ball for well over half of the game, repeat.
Few teams in America have as much starting experience, and if this all works just a wee bit better, the Black Knights will be a dominant force.
What’s Working
Running the ball (part 1). It was fifth in the nation in rushing last season, and more production is on the way with so much returning talent to make it all go.
The only two teams to hold the Black Knights to under 220 yards on the ground were fellow service academies, Air Force and Navy.
The offensive line. It was good last season, but it could be better. That will come with the experience returning. Four starters are back around all-conference center Brady Small.
Cale Hellums is back. Army has its quarterback. Hellums led the team with 1,223 rushing yards, and he should get a few more chances to throw downfield with top wide receiver Brady Anderson back.
Top running back Noah Short is done, but Fenway Bowl star Godspower Nwawuihe returns – he ran for 171 yards in the win over UConn – along with a slew of speed backs waiting in the wings.
What Needs Work
Running the ball (part 2). Yeah, of course the Black Knights are awesome at this, but it can be done even better.
The 2024 Army team led the nation in rushing by a relative mile – close to 47 yards per game over No. 2 New Mexico – but was fifth in the nation last season.
To be fair, the 255 yards per game on the ground last year were more than anyone else but its own attack two years ago.
The 11-win team of 2024 ran for more than 300 yards seven times, and more than 400 in three of those games – and won all of them. Last year’s team hit the 300-yard mark just three times.
The passing game. As always, the air attack is along for the ride, but Hellums has to hit a few more passes when the opportunities are there. Last year’s team went 5-1 when the offense averaged more than 8.2 yards per pass.
Turnovers. To go old-school Janet here, it’s all about control. Controlling the clock, controlling the tempo, controlling the game, and that all goes wrong when the offense turns the ball over.
How do you lose to a Tarleton State? Three turnovers. There were three giveaways in the tough overtime loss to North Texas, too. The offense didn’t turn it over multiple times against anyone else.
Player to Watch
Brady Small, C Sr.
A fireplug of a blocker, the 6-0, 315-pound veteran is a two-time First Team All-American Conference center. A technician, he’s the type of veteran quarterback for a line that coaches dream of relying on.
Defense
It wasn’t great at times, but overall, it managed to hang on. There’s plenty of room for improvement.
The 2024 defense finished eighth in the nation, and it was 43rd in the country last year.
Part of the reason was a tougher schedule with more high-powered teams to deal with, but there are things that can be adjusted with this veteran group.
What’s Working
The offense. This will be reiterated several times in several ways in this, but the experienced Army attack should be even better at going on long, grinding marches that give the defense plenty of time to rest. That should be even more pronounced this season.
The defensive interior will be stronger. Jack Bousum is a young pass-rushing presence on the inside, and Army has the luxury of some bulk in the 310-pound Kody Harris-Miller to work around.
When the run defense works, the team wins. Tulane managed to fight its way through with the passing game to beat the Knights, but it took the eventual American Conference champion to fight through for the win.
Army was 6-1 when allowing fewer than 180 rushing yards.
What Needs Work
The pass rush – there wasn’t any. The defense wasn’t a dominant force behind the line two seasons ago, but it was effective. Last year, the Black Knights managed just 15 sacks on the season and a paltry 46 tackles for loss.
The linebackers have to be replaced. It’s Army, so young options are waiting for their turn, but it still stings to lose tough veteran tacklers like Andon Thomas and Kalib Fortner. Again, there wasn’t much of a pass rush, but Eric Ford is gone after tying for the team lead with 4.5 sacks.
There’s a lot of turnover in the secondary, too. The situation is a little more settled than the linebacking corps – there’s plenty of experience among the reserves – but the secondary gets back just one starter among the five – veteran corner Jaydan Mayes.
Player to Watch
Jack Bousum, DT, Jr.
The 6-4, 268-pound tackle turned into a factor as a sophomore with 29 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and eight tackles for loss as a great part of the rotation. Now the All-American Conference tackle will get to do even more.
Keys to the Season
Keep dominating the ball control battle.
It all ties together. Army doesn’t have the defensive size, depth, or talent to stick around with the better teams, so that bunch has to stay on the sidelines as much as possible.
The 2023 offense struggled a wee bit – for Army – in the time of possession battle, and it showed early on.
That all changed fast with the move up to the American, leading the nation in time of possession over each of the last two seasons. More control means more wins.
Player Who Needs To Shine
Dawson Jones, PK, Jr.
Throw punter James Wagenseller in there, too.
Army played nine games last season decided by one score. The kicking game and field position play a bigger role for this team than most.
Jones hit 15-of-20 field goals in his first year, missing two in the three-point loss to Tarleton State and a 44-yarder in the loss to Tulane.
However, he nailed his last nine attempts and was 6-of-9 on the year from beyond 40 yards. He’s a potential all-conference talent.
Biggest Concern
The defensive back eight has to be great.
Again, Army has a way of doing things that fills in the parts without a problem, but it still has to work.
This is a veteran team in most places, but the pass rush has to be there, and the eight new starters across the D have to be good early on because …
Biggest Game
USF, September 12
The Black Knights get a tune-up game against Bryant to get ready to roll, and then the American Conference slate kicks in large with USF to start and a trip against a dangerous Temple team to follow.
Army and USF have only played twice – the Black Knights won in 2004, and the Bulls won in 2023 – but this time around, it’s a conference battle that should set the tone for both teams either way.
Transfer Portal
There’s never a lot here because the Black Knights don’t dabble in the portal. However, they did lose big offensive tackle Josh Manecke to James Madison.
CFN Season Prediction
It’s the nice part about being Army – none of the modern issues matter.
NIL, the transfer portal, opting out – that’s for everyone else. The program builds up the players over four years, has a Next Man Up way that works, and the Jeff Monken system does what it does and makes everyone adjust.
This year’s team is experienced enough and deep enough to be a factor in the American Conference race all season long.
CFN Prediction: 8-4
There will be a time or two when a few mistakes and breakdowns prove costly, but the running game will take over more often than not.
The Navy game isn’t technically a conference battle, and missing North Texas and UTSA is a huge break. East Carolina, Tulane, and USF all have to come to Michie Stadium, and the road games aren’t that awful.
There aren’t any games against Power Four programs, the Air Force game is in early November, and there should be a nice late run to make things interesting.
Related: American Conference Football Rankings: Spring 2026 First Look
This story was originally published by College Football News on May 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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