Army head coach Jeff Monken is 4-1 in bowl games and 79-55 overall in his time at West Point, but the Black Knights missed the postseason the last two years. In an effort to change that in the 2024 campaign, Monken added some fresh faces to his coaching staff.
Army Black Knights Coaching Staff 2024
Head Coach, Jeff Monken
Monken started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Hawaii (1989-1990) under the mentorship of the Rainbow Warriors OC Paul Johnson. He then became a graduate assistant with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 1991 before getting his first on-field role as WRs/Tes coach with the Buffalo Bulls (1992-1994).
Monken moved down to the high school ranks for two seasons before Johnson brought him back to the collegiate level. After landing his first head coaching job with the Georgia Southern Eagles, Johnson hired Monken to serve as the RBs coach, setting the foundation for their future success together.
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It was the first of three different programs Monken would direct the RBs under Johnson, Georgia Southern (1997-2001), Navy Midshipmen (2002-2007), and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2008-2009).
Just as his mentor did, Monken accepted his first head coach job at Georgia Southern, returning to Statesboro to coach the Eagles from 2010-2013. The Eagles had four winning seasons under Monken with three playoff appearances. With a 38-16 overall record, he left for West Point following the 2014 season.
Monken has been the head coach of the Black Knights since then, amassing a 79-55 record in 11 seasons at the helm. After posting a 6-18 record in his first two seasons, Army has had a .500 or better record in seven of the last eight seasons but is coming off back-to-back 6-6 finishes in 2022 and 2023.
Defensive Coordinator, Nate Woody
Before his coaching career, Nate Woody played at Wofford (1980-1983) as a defensive back and linebacker, earning honorable mention All-American honors in 1983. He spent 22 years on staff — non-consecutively — for legendary Wofford head coach Mike Ayers, who coached the Terriers for 30 seasons (1988-2017) with a 207-139-1 record.
Woody was Ayers’ DC for 13 seasons, during which time the Terriers made Division I-AA/FCS Playoffs six times (I-AA in 2003; FCS in 2007-2008, 2010-2012). He was also in charge of the Southern Conference’s leader in total defense three times, including two of his last three seasons (2010 and 2012).
He moved on to Appalachian State and directed Mountaineer defenses that finished in the top 30 in total defense the last four of his five seasons in Boone (2014-2017). The Mountaineers won the Sun Belt co-Championship twice (2016-2017) under his defensive guidance.
Capitalizing on his success in Boone, Woody took a Power Five job as DC at Georgia Tech under Paul Johnson, Monken’s mentor. However, that only lasted one season, as Johnson retired following a 7-5 campaign in 2018.
After bouncing back with a defensive analyst job at Michigan under Jim Harbaugh in 2019, Woody joined Monken’s staff as the DC in 2020. The results were immediate, as the Black Knights boasted the nation’s top total defense in his first season (275.3 yards allowed per game).
- Wofford (assistant, 1988-1993; assistant, 1997-1999; DC, 2000-2012)
- Appalachian State Mountaineers (DC/LB, 2013-2017)
- Georgia Tech (DC, 2018)
- Michigan Wolverines (defensive analyst, 2019)
- Army (DC, 2020-present)
Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks, Cody Worley
A former QB at Furman (2007-2010), Cody Worley was promoted to OC last offseason after spending the last four seasons coaching the Black Knights’ signal-caller.
Worley started his coaching career as a quality control coach for the Citadel Bulldogs (2011-2012) before moving to QBs coach in 2013. Worley then went to Kennesaw State to coach the QBs as part of the Owls’ inaugural football staff. In the five seasons Worley was on the roster (2015-2019), the Owls went 48-15, the winningest record for a startup collegiate program in its first five years.
- The Citadel (quality control, 2011-2012; QBs coach, 2013)
- Kennesaw State Owls (QBs, 2015-2019)
- Army (QBs, 2020-2023; OC, 2024)
Special Teams Coordinator, Sean Saturnio
One of three coaches who followed Monken from Georgia Southern, Saturnio is the only one still on his staff. Over the last 14 seasons, he’s held five different roles on two separate teams for Monken and is currently in his second stint as special teams coordinator for the Black Knights.
- Waipahu High School (HC, 2002-2010)
- Georgia Southern (director of player personnel, 2011; TEs, 2012-2013)
- Army (FBs, 2014-2015; special teams, 2016-2017; TEs, 2018-2019; special teams, 2020-present)
Assistant Head Coach/Outside Linebackers, John Loose
John Loose has been a coach for 37 years, 21 of which were under the employ of a service academy — U.S. Coast Guard Academy (DC/DB coach, 1989-1991) and Army (LB coach, 1992-1999; safeties, 2014-2018; DC, 2018-2019; OLB coach, 2020-present). He was also the DC at Lafayette for 14 seasons (2000-2013).
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Loose has routinely produced standout pass rushers off the edge, most notably Andre Carter, who set the program record for sacks in a season with 15.5 in 2021.
Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line, Mike Viti
A former fullback for the Black Knights (2004-2007), Mike Viti has been on staff at West Point since retiring from the military following his playing career.
He started as the director of high school and alumni relations in 2015 but coached the fullbacks coach from 2016 to 2021. In 2019, he received AFCA Assistant Coach of the Year for his efforts. Viti has been the program’s OL coach for the last two seasons.
Slot Backs, Dane Romero
Prior to joining the Black Knights, Dane Romero served eight years as an assistant at his alma mater, Wofford. Most recently, in 2023 operated as the TEs coach, but in 2022, Romero was the OL coach and co-OC.
Under his tutelage, the offense set new single-season records for completions, attempts, and passing yards after transitioning from the triple option scheme to a pro-spread scheme.
Tight Ends, Cheston Blackshear
Cheston Blackshear was hired in January after spending the last two seasons on the Florida Gators staff as an offensive line quality control coach. Before that, he was the OL and TEs coach at Dartmouth (2018-2021), Nevada Wolf Pack (2014-2017), New Mexico Lobos (2009-2012), Columbia (2006-2008), and Georgetown (2013).
Defensive Line, Sean Cronin
Sean Cronin is in his third season at West Point as DL coach after two years in the same position with the Colorado State Rams (2020-2021).
His first DL coach job came at The Citadel in 2009. He then took over the same role job with the Marshall Thundering Herd (2010) and the Temple Owls (2011-2012). Cronin also returned to Marshall to coach defensive ends (2013-2016). Following the stint, he spent four years with the South Florida Bulls coaching DTs (2017-2018) and LBs (2020).
Corners, Daryl Dixon
Daryl Dixon is entering his ninth season with the Black Knights, serving as the CBs coach since 2019 after being the OLBs coach in 2016-2018. He was with the Ball State Cardinals the eight seasons prior as the OLBs, CBs, and safeties coach from 2008 to 2015. ESPN named him MAC Recruiter of the Year in 2012.
Offensive Line, Matt Drinkall
Matt Drinkall has been with Army since 2019, but his roles have shifted over the last few years. He started out as offensive quality control in 2019 before taking over as TEs coach from 2020-2022. He was the co-OC and OL coach in 2023, but he is back to solely focusing on the offensive line in 2024 with the program’s schematic move away from the shotgun.
Running Backs, Blake Powers
Blake Powers has been with Army since 2018 but started out in admissions and didn’t move to coaching until 2022, when he worked with the fullbacks. He took over as the TEs coach in 2023 but moved to running backs entering the 2024 campaign.
Receivers, Aaron Smith
In his third season with the Black Knights, Aaron Smith was previously the WRs coach at his alma mater, the UConn Huskies (2007-2021). He worked with Randy Edsall in the program, who also coached him there when he played from 2006-2008.
Safeties, Danny Verpaele
Danny Verpaele and Monken were reunited before the 2023 season, with Verpaele working on Monken’s staff at West Point as a quality control coach in 2014-2015. He went on to be the DC and LBs coach at Valdosta State (2016-2018) and the DC and safeties coach at Kennesaw State (2019-2022).
Inside Linebackers, Justin Weaver
Justin Weaver returns for a second season on staff after serving as the Black Knights’ director of on-campus recruiting in 2017 and quality control coach in 2018.
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He was the DC at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School (USMAPS) from 2019-2021 and the head coach in 2022, leading the program to wins over Navy Prep and Air Force Prep.
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