Army is rolling on the field and recruiting is following suit
Following an unexpected upset Saturday in college football, where six teams ranked in the top 11 suffered a loss including No. 1 Alabama, there were some other major storylines established in Week 6.
One of those began brewing late last fall, as the Army Black Knights continued to avoid letdowns on Saturdays with a ninth straight win overall. The 5-0 start to the 2024 season, after a 49-7 rout of Tulsa, is a program best since the 1996 season.
But Jeff Monken’s crew isn’t just killing it on the field, it has something unprecedented brewing on the recruiting trail as well.
Army currently boasts the No. 66 class nationally, which may not appear impressive on paper — it’s the best in school history in the Rivals era. The class sits ahead of programs like Iowa State, Louisville, Cal and even Colorado at this stage of the recruiting process.
The biggest change to the type of addition Monken and company are able to reel in is with three-star prospects. Landing one or two is considered a boon in most cycles, yet the 2025 class already holds five three-star prospects in it.
Zionsville (Ind.) High School defensive back Max Phenicie is the highest-rated of the bunch, tabbed a 5.6 by the network. He isn’t surprised to see the start or stability with his future program.
“All of those guys have such a strong bond and work together very well,” he told Rivals. “I could tell on my visits, that in this aspect it was very different from other programs. I think it’s a big reason that they are very successful right now.”
Sporting more than a dozen scholarship offers in the Power 4 and FBS ranks all together, Monken’s approach despite the immense volume Army typically brings in still found a way to stand out ahead of a summer commitment.
“He’s great!” Phenicie said. “In all the conversations we have had he seems like a great coach who truly cares about his players. He wants them to develop into great players as well as people.
“There is definitely lots of belief from all the commits. We see what they are doing and know that we can do the same. Also seeing what all the guys are doing in their games is impressive. We have lots of dudes coming in and it will be a fun four years.”
Of course the commitment to Army means plenty from a decision-making standpoint. The plan’s stretch well beyond the football career in West Point. It’s part of the reason why recruiting at a higher level has rarely been achievable.
Monken’s stability and even an evolving scheme has created more reach on the trail. Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas wide receiver Elijah D’oleo, the highest-rated skill prospect in Army’s class, believes it’s a sign of things to come.
“They balling right now,” he told Rivals. “Been opening up with more deep shot plays. It just shows that they weren’t lying when they told me that we were going to pass it more and be more explosive. Seeing them do it just let’s me know i can trust their word.
“We’re scoring a lot on deep posts and 50/50 balls and that’s where I make my money.”
The winning streak, consistency on the field and now incoming talent has the future of Army football as ambitious as any group brought in by Monken. Throw in the expanded College Football Playoff and the ceiling for the program could soon be extended.
“They can make the playoffs if they win out!” D’oleo said. “Us recruits know that it’s just the beginning and with this team laying the path to make the playoff. We know Coach Monken is going to get the job done. We don’t make mistakes and always got good discipline and play together.
“Anything is possible for Army.”
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