Most casual fans only pay attention to Army once a year.

And to be fair, Army-Navy deserves that spotlight. It is one of the best traditions in college football, and there is a reason it gets its own standalone weekend.

But this year, Army might be worth watching before December.

The Black Knights went 7-6 last season after a rough start, but they are 19-8 over the last two years. Jeff Monken is back for year 13 at West Point, and Army returns the most offensive snap production in the country. Monken is 89-63 at Army, and the Black Knights are 19-8 since the start of the 2024 season.

That is enough to get my attention. It should get yours too.

HEAD COACH:

• Jeff Monken, entering year 13 at Army
• Monken is 89-63 with the Black Knights.
• Army went 7-6 last season.

You know what Army is going to be.

The Black Knights are going to run the ball. They are going to make you defend option football. They are going to shorten the game. They are going to make every possession feel important.

That style is not always pretty, but it can be brutal to play against.

Just ask Kansas State.

Army went on the road and beat the Wildcats last season, and Kansas State barely had the ball in the second half. That is what Army can do when the offense is working. It can make a better roster stand on the sideline and watch.

The question is whether Army can find just a little more offense.

The Black Knights averaged 23.6 points per game last year. With the way they run the ball and control the clock, if they can get closer to 30 points per game, they can win a lot of games in the American.

QUARTERBACK:

The offense starts with Cale Hellums.

Hellums is not going to throw it 35 times a game. That is not Army football.

Last year, he attempted only 87 passes, completing 47 for 694 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions.

As most option quarterbacks do, Hellums did most of his damage on the ground.

Hellums ran 304 times for 1,223 yards and 18 touchdowns. Army’s official bio notes those 18 rushing touchdowns were the second-most in a season in program history, behind only Bryson Daily’s 32 in 2024.

That is the offense.

Hellums is going to carry it. He is going to make the reads. He is going to take hits. He is going to keep drives alive.

Would you like him to throw a little more? Sure.

But Army does not need him to become a traditional quarterback. It needs him to stay healthy, protect the football and keep the machine moving.

THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

This is where Army should feel good.

The Black Knights return 72% of their offensive snaps, the most in the nation in all of FBS.

This offense is not easy to prepare for, but it also is not easy to execute. Timing, discipline and experience are everything. When you bring back this much of the offense, it gives you a real chance to be even better in the small details.

The key names include Samari Howard at slotback, Brady Anderson at receiver and Parker Poloskey at tight end. Howard played in all 13 games last year and started 12, while Anderson was Army’s second-leading receiver with 381 yards on 14 catches.

The offensive line also has a lot coming back.

Henry Appleton, Paolo Gennarelli, Brady Small and Teddy Williams are returning pieces up front. Williams and Appleton both started all 13 games last season, and Army’s bio notes that line helped block for 3,485 rushing yards while allowing only seven sacks, the best mark in FBS.

Army already wants to run the ball more than anybody. With the quarterback returning and an experienced line in front of him, there is no reason this should not be one of the best rushing attacks in the country again.

DEFENSE

The defense is the bigger question.

Army allowed 20.9 points per game last season and 343.5 yards per game, which is good enough to win with this offense.

But the Black Knights do not return nearly as much on defense as they do on offense.

That is the concern.

The key returning names are Jack Bousum, Kody Harris-Miller and Jaydan Mayes. Bousum gives Army a proven piece up front, Harris-Miller started seven games on the defensive line last year, and Mayes is listed on the official roster as a senior cornerback.

Army does not need to be elite defensively.

It just needs to be solid.

Because the offense helps the defense in a different way. If Army is holding the ball for long drives and limiting possessions, the defense is not facing 80 snaps every week.

That is the formula.

Run the ball. Shorten the game. Win turnover margin. Make opponents uncomfortable.

Army was plus-0.7 in turnover margin per game last season. That fits exactly how this team wants to play.

If the defense can hold up, the offense can do the rest.

SCHEDULE

The schedule has a weird rhythm.

Army opens with two home games: Bryant and South Florida. Then come back-to-back road games at Temple and Louisiana Tech. Then two more home games against Tulane and Florida Atlantic. Then back-to-back road games at Tulsa and Memphis.

That pattern keeps going.

Army hosts Air Force and East Carolina, then goes to Rice, and then finishes with Navy in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

So it is basically two at home, two on the road, two at home, two on the road, two at home, then Rice and Navy.

I do not love all the back-to-back road spots.

But I do like that the schedule gives Army chances.

South Florida, Tulane, Memphis, Air Force, East Carolina and Navy are the games that will probably define the season. If Army is going to compete near the top of the American, those are the types of games it has to win.

OUTLOOK

I think Army can be good.

Maybe really good in the American.

The Black Knights have the quarterback. They have the offensive line. They have the system. They have a coach who has proven this can work. And they bring back more offensive experience than anybody in the country.

That is the optimistic case.

The concern is the defense and the schedule rhythm.

Army is not bringing back nearly as much defensively, and those back-to-back road stretches are not ideal. If the defense slips and the offense is still stuck around 24 points per game, it could be hard to make a major jump.

But if Hellums stays healthy and the offense climbs closer to that 30-point range, Army can absolutely be in the mix.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.