Did someone say Andre Carter II?
This year’s Black Knight defense has brought many NFL scouts to the banks of the Hudson (more on that below). The bigger story for Army fans will be how the team will replace NT Nolan Cockrill, LB Malkelm Morrison, DB Cedrick Cunningham, CB Julian McDuffie, and LB Arik Smith. It’s a hard group to replace, but Nate Woody has an outstanding track record, so we probably ought to believe that he’ll find a way to make it work.
1️⃣4️⃣ ????.#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/HKlD0eZQ4E
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 20, 2022
Teams that run the triple option typically expect that their defenses will be ahead of their offenses at this point in the preseason. But the returning production on offense and the losses to graduation on defense made it hard to believe that this would be the case this year. Despite that, the defense has held the spotlight most of this preseason. As expected, Nate Woody has trained a new generation of players extremely well.
They’ll need to be. Grayson McCall and the Chanticleer offense offer one Hell of a tough test to open the season.
Defensive Line
Firstie NT Darius Richardson has an inside track to start at nose tackle this year as he backed up Cockrill at the end of last season, though cow DL Isaiah Filisi also spent some time listed as Cockrill’s backup. It’s worth noting, though, that Cockrill was absolutely outstanding over the last two years, and that his loss might be the biggest on the entire Army Football Team.
Whoever gets the start will have some awfully big shoes to fill.
"All we're trying to do is cause as much ????? in the backfield as possible."
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 19, 2022
Senior leader Kwabena Bonsu talks defensive line heading into 2022. #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/mmpMC1SHgi
It’s hard to predict specifically where players will end up on the defensive line, but a few players have stood out during camp. Like last year, firstie DL Kwabena Bonsu will likely start game one and will see significant playing time throughout the season. Cow DL Chris Frey has also seen plenty of action and has taken a few starts as well. He likely has the inside track to be the other starting Defensive End. However, cows Austin Hill and Nathaniel Smith are worth keeping an eye on and will likely see plenty of time over the course of the year.
Safeties
Second-year team firstie captain Marquel Broughton is your presumed starting strong safety. This position really isn’t up for grabs. Broughton has been an excellent player for the Black Knights and an outstanding cadet as well. He was named Commander of the 1st Regiment of the Corps of Cadets for the Academic Year. Whatever his future holds, he’s certainly one to watch.
Congrats Marquel ???
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) July 22, 2022
Our two-year captain has been nominated for the Good Works Team‼️#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/6ngBCSuiam
The free safety position looks like an open competition. The big name coming out of fall camp right now is D’Andre Tobias. Sophomore Max DiDomenico has also seen plenty of playing time and is a legitimate contender, too. Tobias weighs 197 while DiDomenico weighs 215, so there’s a good chance we could see one or the other depending on the situation. It’s worth noting, as well, that Army sometimes likes to play a version of the “Big Nickel” defense, meaning that we ought to expect to see a 3-safety look at least occasionally over the course of the year.
Cornerbacks
Losing McDuffie on Senior Day last year was perhaps the hardest thing to watch all season. But the understudies really stepped up to finish the year with a solid secondary. In fact, there is less competition for actual starting spots in the secondary than we might normally expect. Firstie Isaiah Morris and cows Jabari Moore, Cameron Jones and Bo Nicolas-Paul all have plenty of experience. They should all see plenty of time. I would expect to see more of Morris and Moore with a healthy diet of the others to keep starting legs fresh for when they’re really needed.
Linebackers
Rush LB Andre Carter II has generated more NFL visibility at West Point than we’ve had in a long time, perhaps ever. He’s listed as high as a first round pick on some experts’ draft boards. As of this writing, scouts from at least 17 different NFL teams have come to West Point to get a glimpse of what makes him special. He’s also on the watch list for Lombardi, Nagurski, and Bednarik awards plus the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, and he’s earned a handful of preseason All-American selections as well. He comes in at #30 on ESPN’s list of top 100 college football players.
No. 3️⃣4️⃣ coming in at No. 3️⃣0️⃣ on ESPN's Top 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣.#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/4KauLfkjBf
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 19, 2022
The nation’s sack leader from a year ago returns to the Black Knights and will take one of the outside linebacker spots. The other OLB spot will likely be decided between firstie Fabrice Voyne and cow Jimmy Ciarlo. It’s maybe worth noting that Army often likes to play a lighter, faster player in this spot, and though both of these guys come in at 215+ lbs., Voyne has more experience in coverage as a former safety.
Will that matter? Maybe not. But Voyne was a highly touted recruit who has waited a long time to be an every-game starter. If he has a breakout season, no one should be shocked.
Army’s inside linebacker spots are arguably the toughest spots to predict on the entire team. LBs Arik Smith and Kemonte Yow both graduated, leaving some real holes in the middle of the field. Cow LB Spencer Jones has played very well at times but has also had some trouble staying healthy. Firstie Peyton Hampton and cow Leo Lowin have also seen a good bit of time. Even so, we shouldn’t be surprised to see at least one young player make some noise on the inside this year. Army always seems to recruit good linebackers, and they kind of need one to step up this season.
Another week of preseason in the books.
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) August 14, 2022
Hear from Maurice Bellan, Andre Carter and Miles Stewart following Saturday’s scrimmage. #GoArmy pic.twitter.com/aUe07XOAIf
Final Thoughts
Army’s defense is generating a lot of excitement right now. Yes, some of that is due to all of the NFL scouts and the national media attention surrounding Andre Carter. But it’s the preseason performance from this defensive squad as a whole that should really excite Army fans.
Nate Woody brought the Army defense out of the ashes once during the 2020 Covid season. We should expect that same defense to return to form in 2022 despite some key losses from last year’s team.
Go Army! Beat Coastal Carolina!!!
*Cover image via @ArmyWP_Football
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