Army Football scheduled its annual spring football game, the Black & Gold Game, for the evening of Friday, April 12th. That is the day before the Army-Navy Men’s Lacrosse game, making this mid-April weekend arguably the best weekend of college sports this spring.
With the quarterbacks typically in red no-contact jerseys, the Spring Game doesn’t always look 100% like real Army Football. It is nevertheless our first, best, and only chance to get a sense of what the team might look like next year and, more importantly, who we should watching out for once the season starts.
#FridayKnightLights pic.twitter.com/9JWxgRMozt
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) April 8, 2024
Offense
When discussing the game during a recent interview with GoBlackKnights.Com, new Offensive Coordinator Cody Worley talked extensively about giving the staff a chance to evaluate younger players in the team’s actual offense rather than as part of the Scout Team.
At least on offense, arguably the biggest questions come out of the Fullbacks Room. With Jakobi Buchanan and Tyson Riley graduating, the team must find a few guys who can pound the rock. Worley specifically mentioned rising yearling RB Kanye Udoh, which is interesting because Udoh doesn’t necessarily have the body type the Black Knights tend to look for in their fullbacks. Army’s website lists Udoh at 6’0, 220 lbs. That’s great, especially given his elusiveness. However, he’s still giving up at least 30 lbs. to both Buchanan and Riley, and more to the point, do we really want to see Udoh pounding the rock in the A Gap every third play this season? Given his skillset, it seems like the team might be better served trying to break him free in space.
The question is, “How will Worley’s take on the triple-option use the team’s fullbacks?” Because we’re pretty sure that Udoh is gonna get the ball — a lot. He was awesome last year, and we expect he’ll do well again in 2024. But what will that look like, and how will it look different from what we’ve seen in the past?
We might see some of this at the Spring Game, even if Udoh himself is unlikely to play much given his extensive experience on the field last season.
The Black Knights also have some questions in the Quarterbacks Room. We know that rising firstie Bryson Daily will start. But where will rising cows Dewayne Coleman and Zach Mundell fit in? Coleman looked phenomenal during last year’s spring game running the shotgun option but then kind of disappeared during the season itself. Similarly, the team moved Mundell to wide receiver/kick returner last year where he made some plays. This season, though, both guys are back under center and likely to see some meaningful snaps in meaningful games.
Unfortunately, Mundell got hurt earlier this spring. Else, I’d have guessed the Spring Game Would feature a team captained by him against a team captained by Coleman. This would create a highly competitive, entertaining event. Army has done this many times in the past, and it always delivers.
Army also needs to develop a few new slotbacks and maybe find a tight end who can catch. Rising firsties Tyrell Robinson and Miles Stewart return, but the team will needs more than two slots, and in any event, neither of those guys will likely play much in April. Who will fill that void?
Similarly, we know that TE David Crossan can block. But can he catch?
Maybe we’ll find out next month.
Full contact Saturday. pic.twitter.com/w11drmPoFL
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) April 6, 2024
Defense
Army’s defense graduates a lot more guys than the offense this summer, but it might be a little harder to tell who’s rising up the depth chart just from the Spring Game. Rising cow CBs Jabril Williams and Casey Larkin are back, though Williams has played primarily on special teams up until now. The Black Knights are also returning defensive linemen Trey Sofia and Jack Latore along with ILBs Brett Gerena and Kalib Fortner and rising firstie safety Max DiDomenico. I scanned the roster for names I recognized, but I may still have missed some guys with quality game experience. Regardless, there will be some big holes to fill throughout the defense, especially in the secondary. The linebackers, though, at least return some guys with experience
We might learn something from seeing who stands out during the Spring Game, but then again, we also might not. The staff will be trying to get looks at as many guys as possible. Young guys who show out in the scrimmage might still wind up playing special teams. This early in the preseason, it’s a little hard to say.
Max DiDomenico says 🙅 pic.twitter.com/O4QinCAxlO
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) April 5, 2024
Special Teams
As of this writing, Army has four punters and five kickers listed on their roster, though they have a good deal more uncertainty at kicker. Rising cow P Cooper Allan showed flashes last season but needed to improve his consistency. Still, he seems likely to get many more opportunities in 2024.
Kicker, unfortunately, is a different matter. Of the guys currently listed on the roster, rising firstie Trey Gronotte is the player to have seen any actual playing time. He played in two games — way back in 2022 — going 2/2 on extra points and kicking off three times.
Army often carries both a kickoff specialist and a field goal accuracy specialist. No one likes field goals, but this year it’s probably fair to hope that we see a healthy number of attempts under the lights in the relatively high-leverage pressure of the Black & Gold Game. Speaking personally, I would very much like to see some of these guys hit some longish kicks.
Final Thoughts
Assuming the weather holds up, the Black & Gold Game is always a good time. More to the point, it’s the only college football of any note for the next several months. Army will host a ton of recruits, too, so if you go, you might even get a look at some cadet-candidates. Alas, it’ll likely be a while before you see any of them on the field.
We’ll see you out there!
The job isn’t finished.
— Army Football (@ArmyWP_Football) March 29, 2024
It just got started.#GoArmy pic.twitter.com/uPYPgtUNEo
Go Army!
Leave a Reply
Your email is safe with us.