Army Black Knights 2026 Season Preview

Hellums began 2025 buried on the depth chart before winning the job and setting a school single-game record with 41 carries in the upset at Kansas State. By year's end he had become the engine of the attack, piling up 1,223 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns while finishing second nationally in carries, and adding 694 passing yards on 54 percent accuracy with a 4-3 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He is a natural fit for the Cadets' option, physical between the tackles and comfortable reading the mesh point. The one caveat is workload: he shouldered roughly 40 percent of the team's carries a year ago, a share that is difficult to sustain, so spreading the ball out will be a priority. Sophomore Bryson Luter is the top backup.

In the triple option, blocking is the first job on the perimeter, and recent NCAA restrictions on cut blocking have made that assignment harder. Even so, Army has playmakers back. Brady Anderson is the featured target after a season around 380 yards at better than 27 yards a catch, a genuine vertical threat off play-action. Tight end Parker Poloskey, who became the first Army tight end to catch a touchdown in nearly two decades, returns along with the rest of the group and gives Hellums a reliable outlet, while slotback Samari Howard adds another experienced piece. This passing game only needs to connect occasionally to keep defenses honest, but the returning experience raises the floor.

The bigger question is who carries the load behind Hellums, because the top backfield options from last season are gone after combining for more than 1,100 yards. The likeliest answer is Godspower Nwawuihe, a converted quarterback who broke out as the bowl MVP with 171 yards and a pair of long touchdowns against UConn. His background lets Army line him up in a variety of formations, and the staff is high on his sophomore leap. Carson Smith and Jake Rendina provide depth after modest 2025 workloads. Replacing Noah Short, who compiled better than 1,000 yards from scrimmage, leaves a real hole to fill.

The line has always been the heartbeat of this program, and it is again the strength. Four starters return from a unit that has drawn national recognition as one of the best in the country and enters the year regarded as a top-10 group. Senior center Brady Small anchors it, an All-Conference pivot who has started every one of Army's games since arriving at the academy. The only significant departure is at left guard, and with the veteran core intact the room is once more positioned to open the wide creases the option demands.

The front is where the defense is most settled. Senior nose tackle Kody Harris-Miller enters his third year as a starter and anchors the most experienced unit on this side of the ball. Junior end Jack Bousum has flashed pro potential after a productive season that included eight tackles for loss, and senior Dillon Stowers improved steadily down the stretch. Army traditionally rotates a deep group up front, and while a few contributors moved on, the returning veterans give this level a chance to hold up while the back seven finds its footing.

This is the pivot point of the entire scheme, since Army funnels almost everything through its inside linebackers, and it is also the biggest concern. Both captains and leading tacklers from a year ago, Kalib Fortner and Andon Thomas, are gone, and their replacements may not be settled until fall camp. Sophomore Bryson Banks and junior Elijah Walton are the early favorites to step in. The talent is unproven, and how quickly this duo grows into the run-fit responsibilities will go a long way toward setting the defense's ceiling.

The secondary was hit hard by graduation and returns just one starter in senior cornerback Jaydan Mayes, who picked off four passes two years ago and will need a big season as the anchor. Sophomore Julian Porter is expected to take on an important role opposite him, part of a youth movement across the back end. With multiple new faces at safety and corner, this is the group most likely to be tested early, and its development is central to whether the defense can keep Army in games while the offense controls the clock.

Both specialists rank among the best in the conference and give Army a real edge in the field-position battle the option thrives on. Junior kicker Dawson Jones made 15 field goals, the most by an Army placekicker since 2010, and closed the year by converting his final five attempts, including a walk-off winner against Air Force. Senior punter James Wagenseller averaged better than 43 yards per kick and flips fields on his own. With both back, this is a unit that should climb from a year ago.